For Good
by FrauleinTofu
Summary: Who was to say they were changed for the better, but they were changed for good. And they have an epic destiny. Or at least, they're supposed to be epic. Right now, they're not that epic, but they're getting there.
1. Having Fun

**A/N:** This will be the only time I annoy you with an author's note at the beginning. I don't own Star Trek, I don't make money off of Star Trek, and everything here is for fun and any views expressed are for the sake of the story and don't necessarily reflect my own. All in all, just your standard disclaimer. Enjoy.

* * *

"Well then…That was fun."

There was a collective, albeit tired, set of smiles and chuckles echoing softly throughout the ship's bridge. The only individual maintaining a neutral expression was Spock. He sat calmly at the science station and studied the young man softly swiveling back and forth on the command chair. He paused in his movements and spun around to face the science officer.

"What? You didn't think that was fun?"

The science officer crossed his arms speculatively and leaned back in his chair. Sweeping a hand in front of him to indicate the state of disarray the bridge was in, Spock answered,

"Fun would imply an emotive response to the current situation of which I do not have one. However, if I understand the implication behind such a word correctly, then I believe I can say that, in no way, have I found any part of this altercation 'fun.'"

James T. Kirk, captain of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_, was smug while the remainder of the crew watched on in mild amusement.

"Aw, come on, Mr. Spock. You can't deny there was a certain thrill to it all?"

Spock slowly nodded his head once as he processed the captain's irrelevant, but not wholly illogical line of questioning.

"If by 'thrill' you are referring to increased levels of hormones, particularly adrenaline, resulting in an increase in metabolic processes, then you are correct." said Spock in a matter of fact tone of voice. "However, it is illogical to assume that this 'thrill' would be equated to 'fun' for all parties."

Swallowing a laugh and schooling his expression into one of thoughtfulness, Kirk slowly rubbed his chin.

"True, you do have a point there, Mr. Spock."

"Of course, Captain." Spock replied confidently. "I also believe I have a valid, and logical, point when I respectfully tell you that you are a poor actor and I must inquire as to what purpose this conversation has served."

He cocked a single eyebrow questioningly at the captain who let loose a lazy, lop-sided grin.

"Do we really need a reason to talk?" Feigned innocence graced Kirk's features before shifting to one of mock indignation. "And what do you mean I'm a bad actor? I think I'm brilliant."

"Yeah, it was brilliant how I became a wall decoration. Dammit all, Jim, can't you keep this death bucket steady, and preferably with gravity? And before you say it, no, it was not fun at all!"

Kirk sunk into his chair a little further and had the decency to look faintly sheepish as he looked over at the turbo lift to stare into the disgruntled face of his chief medical officer. Doctor Leonard McCoy crossed his arms and glared pointedly at the captain.

"Sorry, Bones. I'll try to make our next escape from a singularity smoother."

McCoy ignored the sarcasm lacing Kirk's voice as he nodded his head in finality.

"Good, you do that." he said as he walked over and leaned against the side of the captain's chair. Then, he noticed the forward viewing screen and suddenly paled. "And what the hell is that?"

The bridge crew turned their attention to where McCoy pointed. A giant crack ran across the screen with a multitude of smaller, yet just as noticeable, cracks along the entirety of the ship's inner hull. Everybody stared expectantly at the doctor who continued to point at the cracks while opening and closing his mouth as he searched for his voice. Kirk was about to retort with a witty response, but was beaten to it by Spock.

"Those are cracks resulting from the increased pressure against the ship's hull as a result of our escape from the singularity. The differences between the inner and outer pressure-"

"Dammit, man, I know that!" yelled McCoy.

Spock tilted his head to the side ever so slightly as he studied the doctor.

"If you were aware of the cause behind the current condition of this vessel, it is illogical for you to demand an answer to your question."

While McCoy turned his acidy stare on to Spock, Kirk broke out into a full grin and was more than happy to explain.

"It was a rhetorical question expressing his disbelief. He's kind of an aviophobe."

Just as he predicted, Spock's left eyebrow shot upward and began examining the doctor with a critical eye reserved for only the most complex scientific puzzles.

"What are you doing on a starship?" Spock asked genuinely curious. Judging from the gleeful expression on Kirk's face and the dismayed and increasingly flustered expression on McCoy, there was clearly some sort of underlying humor he was not privy to. It made for a fascinating study of human interaction.

Of course, McCoy was neither amused nor fascinated with the situation. He swatted Kirk upside the head and pointed angrily at Spock who just watched him with his usual detached curiosity. Kirk chanced a glance at McCoy while ruefully rubbing the back of his head and could see the muscles of his jaws twitching from tension. Deciding that it would be detrimental to his long term health if he allowed this to go on, Kirk directed his attention to the science officer.

"It's kind of a long story…Just don't mention any type of ship damage like how we were close to being crushed and collapsing in on ourselves as we were pulled through the singularity."

Contrary to his resolve to not antagonize McCoy any further, Kirk could not resist one last stab at the doctor's phobia. From the way McCoy's eyes widened, both Kirk and Spock were certain that he was sufficiently spooked and just itching to take his anxiety out on somebody.

"Don't worry so much, doctor. As you can see, hull integrity has not been breached. Despite the damage, we are wery safe…Unless, of course, space debris hits the ship, but I am sure Sulu is capable of ewading it." Chekov, looking over his shoulder at McCoy, reassured him innocently enough, except the total effect was ruined by the tiny grin he was sporting.

Not even missing a beat, Sulu nodded his head earnestly and affirmed Chekov's declaration.

"Yeah, it's no problem at all." he assured the doctor with a smile. "Then again, if it got too busy out there, it would be difficult to maneuver with our limited power. If it came down to it though, we could send out a signal to Starfleet for support."

He nodded his head at Uhura sitting properly in her seat at the communication station, though her shoulders drooped ever so slightly in exhaustion. That, however, did not prevent her from joining in.

"Well, we're easily in federation territory and relatively speaking, near Starfleet command, so a message would successfully reach them." she thoughtfully tapped her chin, then added, "But if we were suffering damage, by the time the message reached Starfleet, the ship would have already be beyond help."

At this point, McCoy's hands were balled into tight fists at his side and he looked ready to explode. Kirk was preparing to calm him down, but before he could even begin to try to mollify the chief medical officer, Spock, however unintentional, drew the last straw.

"The probability of such a series of events occurring is so miniscule it is not worth determining the probability. Therefore, Doctor, I fail to see why you are behaving in such an illogical manner to a hypothetical situation."

Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose and resigned himself to an angry and bitter tirade against the bleakness and danger of space followed by a series of threats against the crew.

"I am not being illogical, you pointy-eared sonuvabitch!" McCoy yelled at Spock who appeared much more curious than insulted. Then, he whirled around and stomped over to Kirk who tried to push himself into the back of his chair in the vain hopes of disappearing. Jabbing a finger forcefully into Kirk's chest, McCoy growled, "As for you and your crew, expect a _full_ physical in sickbay and so help me if none of you show up…"

He trailed off at the end leaving the final threat up to the imagination of the crew members. Glancing around and satisfied that he instilled the necessary fear into the bridge crew, McCoy nodded his head once in finality.

"Fascinating."

His head whipped around to Spock who leaned forward slightly as he scrutinized the doctor further. The inquisitive gaze was matched by McCoy's threatening one. When he opened his mouth to speak, Spock easily interjected,

"While your predilection for overreacting to non-existent scenarios merits further inquiry, Doctor, it is unproductive to continue in this manner. What is the original purpose of your presence?"

Throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation, McCoy shook his head and growled obscenities before shaking his head and turning his attention back to Kirk, who was attempting to keep from laughing.

"Captain Pike wanted to see you," he poked Kirk in the chest and then pointed at Spock, "And you."

Kirk and Spock shared a quick glance, then stood up and moved quickly to the turbo lift, followed quickly by McCoy. Before the doors slid shut, Kirk shouted at Sulu,

"You got the conn!"

"Aye, sir." Sulu responded with a small smile and then turned his attention back to his console.

The doors shut with a hiss. It took a brief moment for the lift to come to a stop and the doors slid open to Deck 6, G Deck.

As they proceeded down the hall towards sickbay, both Kirk and Spock noticed the burn marks scarring the walls and the debris scattered around the floor. Sickbay was supposed to the safest section to be in a constitution class starship. Considering the extent of damage on the safest deck on the entire ship, it did not speak well for the remainder of the ship.

While the hallway was in definite disrepair, Kirk was relieved to see that sickbay itself was relatively unharmed. Nonetheless, it was not exactly how he ever wanted to see it. All available medical beds were filled with patients moaning in pain while many more were sprawled out on the floor with others leaning against the wall in an attempt to keep out of the medical personnel's way. Spare doctors and every nurse still capable of moving were skittering from patient to patient doing their very best to keep from joining the others on the floor, whether from their own injuries or exhaustion.

Off to the side in a corner was a solitary bed. A nurse was reading the life readings and when she was satisfied with the stats, she hurriedly ran off to check on another patient. It was to this bed that McCoy led Kirk and Spock.

As they approached, they could see the prone figure of Captain Pike. He was pale and looked as if he was barely breathing. When Kirk approached the bed, he did his best to not focus on the shallow breathing and dark stains bleeding around the corners of his mouth. Tearing his gaze away from Pike, Kirk looked to his side where Spock was standing.

His expression, as to be expected, gave nothing away and posture was proper though perhaps a little stiffer than usual. Hands clasped behind his back in an at ease position, Spock calmly waited for the doctor to give his prognosis.

"Well, he's been tortured, though with what, we're not sure. Scans show some foreign object lodged at the base of his skull. Further analysis showed the object is organic and is attached onto his brain stem pretty securely." McCoy ran his hand over his face before shaking his head. "There's going to be damage, but we're not sure to what extent."

Kirk crossed his arms and stared at Bones.

"Have you removed, whatever it is, from him yet?"

McCoy shook his head and shot him a small smirk.

"I would have, but somebody can't keep this death bucket steady." he answered.

Spock was about to say something, most likely regarding the doctor's choice of words, but Kirk nudged him lightly in the side. Instead, Spock remained silent and let McCoy continue.

"I would like to start it as soon as possible. That thing in him is releasing some sort of toxin and the sooner I get it out, the happier everybody will be. I just want to make sure we aren't going to have any unexpected bumps."

When he said "unexpected bumps," McCoy glanced pointedly at Kirk who held his hands up defensively.

"Hey, I'm not the pilot here." Kirk defended, and then looked expectantly at Spock. "And I don't think we're going to run into any more problems."

"That is correct. Contrary to the prior discourse of worst case scenarios on the bridge, our return flight to Starfleet will encounter no further disruptions." Spock answered promptly and in monotone.

The other two remained silent, as if waiting for him to continue further, but when it was obvious that that was the extent of his report, Kirk and McCoy shared an amused glance.

"No more disruptions? I hope so…Pissed off Romulans are disruption enough…"

A soft, raspy voice interrupted their conversation. All attention suddenly became fixated on the speaker. Captain Christopher Pike slowly opened his eyes and in a painfully slow manner, turned his head to face the three men. He smiled sluggishly and rasped out,

"If my memory isn't completely shot yet, I'm pretty sure I had left you in charge, Mr. Spock." Pike's smile softened a fraction at the brief embarrassment Spock showed and then covered up. He then turned slightly to get a better view of Kirk. "And you, mister, better get ready for a mountain of paperwork for your little stunt."

Kirk had the decency to look a little sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. Meanwhile, McCoy was running his medical tricorder to determine Pike's awake status.

"Alright, don't push it too much, sir. Say what you want then I respectfully ask you shut up. Your body's weak enough as is…No need making it worse by talking to these two."

Tilting his head to the side, Spock raised an eyebrow in question at Kirk who responded with a quick nod. The small gesture was not lost on the doctor who tried to interject, but failed. The Vulcan was simply too quick with his words.

"Doctor, you claim that speaking with Captain Pike would be adverse to his current state of health. However, I am inclined to point out it was you who first invited us to speak with Captain Pike. Therefore, as the medical professional, if you deemed our presence detrimental, it would have been within the realm of your responsibility to deny any request to speak with either the captain or myself."

There was a smothered snort from Kirk who was biting his bottom lip. Though Pike was too tired and in pain to do anything too drastic, it was clear from the way the corner of his lips twitched upwards that he was also amused. The only person who was not amused was McCoy. Currently, he was grumbling expletives under his breath as he made a great show of storming off to check on another patient.

"Good one, Spock." Kirk patted Spock on the shoulder with a grin. Spock remained neutral as he answered,

"I assure you, Captain, I have no idea what you are referring to."

Christopher Pike watched their exchange with curiosity. It was amusing watching Kirk, Spock, and McCoy banter, a much needed distraction from his recent ordeal, but he was more interested in how the two top officers interacted.

He heard a brief recap from Doctor McCoy how Kirk wound up with the captaincy. There were many details missing, and he looked forward to hearing about the series of events for himself. Though he was surprised at how Kirk gained his position, he was not, however, surprised at the easy acceptance Spock showed of Kirk's leadership now. He always knew Spock was a more than capable officer, but he also knew how reluctant the Vulcan was to be in total command. On the other hand, he knew James Kirk was meant for leadership, which was why he designated him first officer. Pike had not been lying when he told Kirk he could be one of the youngest to ever captain a starship, he just had not expected it that soon. It was a shame and a tragedy how events unfolded, but there seemed to be a sliver of fortune amidst the recent chaos.

"So, _Captain_ Kirk, how did you exactly come to be in charge now?" Pike asked.

In an uncharacteristic manner, Kirk faltered and stuttered for words. He nervously glanced sideways at Spock who was stoic, and answered instead.

"I was emotionally compromised after the destruction of Vulcan." There was a slight hitch in his voice when he mentioned Vulcan, but otherwise, maintained a bland and matter of fact tone of voice. "Therefore, it was logical that Captain Kirk, who was the first officer, take over command."

Pike wanted to nod his head in understanding, but the motion was too difficult for him to manage so he sent Spock a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry about your loss, Spock."

"Your sympathy is appreciated, but not necessary. I am…" He trailed off at the end as he searched for a word. After a moment, Spock continued, "Fine. I am fine."

There was no further explanation on his part and he resumed a blank, unreadable face. Pike shifted his gaze to Kirk who appeared solemn, and maybe even a bit concerned, as he stared out of the corner of his eye at Spock, who suddenly found the wall across the room very fascinating.

"Good to hear it." He offered Spock a small smile.

"Indeed." Spock answered in his default, emotionless mode. "If there is nothing more I am required for, I shall resume my station."

Both Pike and Kirk found it best to let Spock escape his apparent discomfort with the current discussion. They nodded their heads once, which Spock seemed to be grateful for.

"Then, by your leave, Captain." said Spock who then paused a brief moment and nodded his head towards Pike. "…Captain."

Kirk waved cheekily to which Spock lifted an eyebrow and softly shook his head. On his way out, Spock stopped to speak with McCoy. Kirk could not be sure as to what was said, but the end result was McCoy rolling his eyes and shooing him out of the sickbay.

"For some reason, Kirk, I feel like it wasn't that simple."

His tone of voice sounded more amused than anything else, to Kirk's great relief. Nonetheless, now that he thought about it, Kirk had no idea where to begin without sounding like a complete lunatic. Even though the crew somehow caved in and believed his time-traveling Spock story, he had no idea what Pike would think about it. It still sounded ridiculous to him and he was the one who was actually there.

"You wouldn't believe half of what happened." Kirk shot him a half smile, half apologetic bow of the head.

"I'm sure. So I wonder how Starfleet will take it." Pike slowly smirked when he saw the dawning realization in the younger man's eyes. "I for one would enjoy hearing the full story."

With that, Pike stiffly readjusted his head so it was resting more comfortably on the pillow and shut his eyes with a smug grin. He greatly anticipated reading Kirk's report.

Kirk took Pike's silence as a sign the conversation was over. Before he walked off though, Pike told him,

"Just so you know, no matter what you do, Spock will always write a better Starfleet report than you."

Shooting a questioning glance towards Pike, Kirk was slightly exasperated to see him with his eyes closed and ignoring him. McCoy walked over and stood beside Kirk.

"Guess you're dismissed." he said.

"Yeah, guess you're right." Kirk responded. He was about to leave, but found himself unable to. "Bones, let go."

McCoy shook his head and tightened his grip on Kirk's arm.

"Nuh-uh, mister. I'm not through with you." McCoy ignored his friend's protests and dragged him off to the side. "When you get to that bridge, you're going to make sure that every single one of you goes off duty. That includes you and the hobgoblin."

He waved a hypospray under Kirk's nose to emphasize the seriousness of his orders. Kirk fought the involuntary urge to bring up his hands and protect his neck. Instead, he settled for a solid pat on the shoulder and twisting his arm from the doctor's vice-like grip.

"Okay, okay, I got it." He looked at the raised eyebrow and cursed all the people in the world who were able to convey threats through their eyebrows. "Seriously, I got, Bones."

There was still a small glimmer of suspicion on the doctor's part, but he was satisfied; for now. Kirk extricated his arm and then rushed out of sickbay; away from his irritable friend, and away from the air of pain permeating the sickbay.

When he was in the turbo lift and the doors shut, Kirk let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. He took a moment to breathe and gather his composure before punching in the buttons for the bridge. It took only a few moments for the doors to slide open again and all eyes were on him.

"Did you miss me?"

Uhura shook her head but there was a tiny grin gracing her lips. Kirk shot her a wink and one of his classic smirks. This just caused her to roll her eyes though the grin was still in place. She swiveled in her own chair so she was now facing Kirk.

"We just received a transmission from Starfleet. Admiral Barnett is on the line."

The atmosphere in the bridge turned solemn as Kirk unconsciously straightened his shirt and sat as proper as he could in the chair. Taking a deep breath, he commanded,

"On screen."

Even though the screen was cracked and in less than standard condition, the image of Admiral Barnett came through relatively clear. He looked exhausted and it was obvious that Starfleet had been just as chaotic as those in space.

"Kirk? What are you doing there? You weren't cleared for duty." Barnett was confused and became even further so as he examined the entire bridge. No doubt, he was struck by the youthful appearance of the bridge crew and the distinct absence of Pike.

"That is true, sir, but through a series of…events, I am the current captain of this vessel."

It never ceased to stun him when he was able to say that he was a captain of a starship. There was a hint of pride that he could not hide, but then, there was also a part of him that was unsure as to how Barnett would take the new information and what it would mean for his future. Squelching those thoughts as quick as they popped up, Kirk admirably maintained his confident expression.

Admiral Barnett was silent for a few moments before nodding his head once, slowly and deliberately.

"Mr. Spock." Spock stood up at attention when Barnett addressed him. "I trust everything was done according to procedure?"

"Of course. Though Captain Kirk was, originally, not on duty, he did not violate any regulations as he was, at the time, a patient of Doctor Leonard McCoy. When the _Narada_ appeared, Captain Pike appointed me acting captain while designating Kirk as first officer before engaging the Romulans on their vessel. After the destruction of Vulcan, I was emotionally compromised and resigned as acting captain. As first officer, Kirk assumed the captaincy." Spock regurgitated the "events" in a calm, collected manner without batting an eyelash. Kirk idly wondered if the robotic reply was going to be the default answer whenever somebody questioned the _Enterprise_'s current crew.

Silence hung over the bridge. Barnett seemed to be digesting Spock's explanation while Spock remained stoic. However, Kirk was pretty sure he saw a defiant glint in Spock's eyes, almost as if he was daring the admiral to argue with him. Then again, that could have been his imagination, but for now, he was satisfied with his current observation.

"I see…" There was some hesitation evident in Barnett's answer, but overall, he was accepting of it. "Well then, Starfleet extends its congratulations and heartfelt thanks at preventing a second tragic catastrophe."

At that last part, Kirk snuck a quick glance at Spock. He stood as impassive as ever and patiently waited for the admiral to continue.

"As to you, Mr. Spock, and to all Vulcan survivors, you have our deepest sympathy and utmost support."

It was brief, barely there, but Kirk caught it. Spock's stoicism slipped for only an instant, but it was long enough for a strange sensation in the gut of his stomach to form. On Spock's part, he mentally scolded himself for the involuntary lapse in control, but was positive it was quick enough for nobody to notice.

"I thank you on behalf of Vulcan."

He bowed his head lightly in deference to the consolation offered then resumed his station. Kirk watched him out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to the admiral.

"Well, Admiral, to what do we owe this pleasure?" asked Kirk.

"Starfleet wishes to know the condition of the _Enterprise_ and how we can be of service to expedite your return trip."

Heaving a deep sigh, Kirk ran a hand over his face. There were so many things he could say that he could find nothing to say. Images of the sickbay, Pike, on top of all the damage he could plainly see throughout the bridge, Kirk could only reply,

"The condition of this ship is suck."

Kirk did not need to look over his shoulder to know that the science officer's eyebrow would be up into his hairline because the cocked eyebrow of Admiral Barnett was a good indicator of how outrageous his response was. Most occasions, even Kirk would have had the good sense to not answer in such a manner, but given the circumstances, he could not bring himself to care. Apparently, Barnett was also in a lax mood because he just sighed and nodded his head in understanding.

"I understand." he spoke sincerely and then asked, "What condition is the engine in?"

Before Kirk could reply, a loud voice with a thick brogue answered for him.

"I just ejected all the warp cores so we're only working on impulse. Not to mention the strain the engines have already been put under escaping form that singularity." Montgomery Scott gestured wildly with his hands as he further explained the state of the _Enterprise_'s engines. "Did ye know there are cracks, CRACKS! Do ye know what that means? We can barely make it on impulse power. I cannae believe how she's been treated…and on her maiden voyage to boot!"

Scott's despairing would have been comical were the engines not as damaged as he claimed. However, the threat of damaged engines and the knowledge that the ship only had impulse power kept the atmosphere grim.

"Scotty, can the engines hold out long enough to get us back?" Kirk asked.

"…Aye, Captain. She'll hold. Just hope we don't actually need to maneuver her or anything." Reluctantly Scott answered. So long as he continued to monitor and begin minor repairs, the _Enterprise_ would remain in one piece.

Slowly nodding his head, Admiral Barnett came to a decision.

"Alright then. Kirk, I want you to keep this ship heading for Earth. The remaining ships in the Lorentian system will meet you part way to help relieve you of the injured and extra passengers aboard." He waited for Kirk to nod his head to indicate he was listening before adding, "Those who are still fit for duty will remain aboard the ship and fly her home."

The tension every crewmember aboard the _Enterprise_ felt became a little less knowing that the overwhelming number of passengers would be alleviated. Kirk knew McCoy would be overjoyed to know that he would soon have a more manageable amount of patients to worry over.

"Understood, Admiral." Kirk replied formally.

With a final farewell and good luck, the transmission was cut and Kirk slowly sunk into his chair. Gesturing to the navigator, Chekov, he asked,

"Given the state of our engines and our current location, how long will it take us to reach Starfleet command?"

Fingers glided over the various screens as Chekov quickly made his calculations. As he worked, he pursed his lips in concentration before continuously nodding his head and spinning in his chair to face the captain.

"Keptin, I have calculated that we will arrive in a week and a half."

Kirk rested his chin on his fist as he contemplated the answer. Chekov stared at him expectantly, as did the rest of the crew. Churning over the information in his head a bit, Kirk then directed his attention to Scott.

"Think you can keep the _Enterprise_ running for that long?" he asked innocently.

In response, Scott shot him an incredulous, and almost offended expression causing Kirk to choke back a smirk.

"You bet I can. It'll be a hot day on Delta Vega when this beauty cannae come through."

Holding his hands up in a placating manner, Kirk allowed himself to smile and nod approvingly.

"Bones is going to be glad to hear that."

"Well then. If you gents will excuse me, I have some engines I need to repair." Scott informed them. Looking at Kirk who nodded once, the eccentric engineer strolled happily enough off the bridge.

The doors leading to the rest of the deck closed and Kirk was once again left to his own thoughts. He was glad to hear that there was no need for concern when it came to the engines. Now he only had to worry about what he needed to get done before the time aboard the _Enterprise_ was up.

"A week and a half, huh?" As he spoke, he slightly spun his chair to look over at Spock and had to repress a grin. "Mr. Spock, where in the world did you lead us to make it such a long trip?"

He had to bite his tongue when he saw Spock furrow his brows and tilt his head slightly in confusion.

"I assure you, Captain, I had no intention of prolonging our voyage. At the time, I deemed it necessary to not only give you more time to free Captain Pike, but to also find a suitable location in which there were no nearby space bodies so that the red matter could be safely detonated. Therefore, I chose the nearest location that fulfilled these parameters." By the end of his explanation, Spock was becoming suspicious of the captain as he and the others appeared to be doing a poor, human attempt to suppress an emotion. Arching an eyebrow, Spock decided to pursue his current hypothesis. "Captain, am I to assume that you are, once again, intentionally manipulating me to respond to your queries in an entertaining fashion?"

"If you're asking if I was making a joke, then yes, Spock, you are correct." Kirk grinned as he answered.

"I see…Fascinating." was the only reply Spock had for the captain.

It pleased Kirk to know that his joking was not completely lost on Spock, but even more so that it did not offend or hurt his feelings. When he thought about hurting his feelings, Kirk had to swallow a snort. Despite the claims to the contrary, he knew that Vulcans, particularly the one seated at the science station, could have their feelings hurt. And he also knew, an emotionally hurt Vulcan was not safe for anybody's health.

"Of course I'm fascinating, Spock. No need to state the obvious." Kirk lounged in his chair confidently as he continued to grin at Spock.

"You are purposefully misconstruing my words." stated Spock.

There was no accusation in his voice nor was he taken aback. Spock merely stated his perception of the situation in the attempt to understand the current scenario created by the captain. This helped alleviate some of the tension Kirk had been feeling ever since they talked with Pike, though there was still something in the back of his mind fighting to the forefront of his thoughts.

"Who, me? Misconstrue? I'm just calling it how I see it."

"Then I suggest Doctor McCoy also give you an eye exam and perhaps a psychological evaluation if what you say is true."

The only way to describe the current expression on Spock's face was smug because for a moment, Kirk was at a loss for a retort and just waggled a finger at him as he processed the information he was just given. His lack of a response of any kind satisfied Spock. It would appear that he deduced correctly and was currently engaged in a verbal spar of wits human's referred to as "joking."

Finally collecting his thoughts, Kirk's grin grew even larger as he replied,

"Well played, Spock, well played. Just don't let Bones catch you saying that, he'd follow through with it."

Spock wholly agreed and as he thought about it, he realized the captain had not made the announcement the good doctor had ordered earlier.

"Indeed. And speaking of the doctor, I believe he gave you specific instructions."

Shoulders suddenly slumped when Kirk heard those words. He hated physicals and guessed that every crewmember did not want to subject themselves to something so seemingly unnecessary. Nonetheless, orders were orders, and McCoy would not be disobeyed in this case.

"Okay, people. You are all to report to sickbay after this shift for standard physicals as ordered by the chief medical officer." he made sure to tag on the last little bit so they knew he was not the one responsible for all the expressions of dismay. "When he clears you, you are to go off duty until the next alpha shift. And for those who are wondering, I've decided alpha shift ends in half an hour since everything got messed up with Nero and the standard routine was thrown off."

When he finished speaking, it was clear that nobody wanted to leave their position even though exhaustion was plainly visible. They shared despairing looks with one another while Kirk looked to Spock for any added instructions. Standing straight and authoritative, Spock tugged at the hem of his shirt to straighten it out before addressing the crew.

"As the sickbay is already inundated with patients and to make the process as expeditious as possible, you will be dismissed in pairs as time is allotted for those of beta shift to arrive and adjust to the situation." he made a point to make eye contact with every crewmember before finishing. "From here on out, we will assume standard procedure as in accordance with Starfleet regulation. If you have any further personal queries, please direct them to the captain."

Upon finishing, Spock stared expectantly at Kirk.

"Sure, push it all on me." teased Kirk. "Alright, then. Once I finish the ship wide announcement, I want weapon and damage control to go first."

There was a collective set of nods as Kirk punched the communications button on the command chair's right arm.

"This is Captain Kirk. Starfleet has ordered our return to Earth of which we will be arriving in approximately a week and a half. In that time, you are to resume your standard stations and perform your duties in accordance with Starfleet regulation. At 2200 hours, alpha shift will end. Please acknowledge the time and respond accordingly to your given shift. I know there seems to be too much going on at once right now, but I also know all of you are the best at what you do. You're all doing an excellent job, so keep up the good work. Kirk out."

Without any prompting, the officers station at weapons and damage control stood up and dutifully marched to the turbo lift when Kirk finished. The action caused a small smile of satisfaction to grace his face. When the doors to the lift closed, Kirk swiveled and addressed Spock.

"Mr. Spock?"

"Beta shift officers have already been informed and are on their way." he answered when prompted.

"Great. Please inform me when ten minutes have passed."

"Yes, Captain."

With that final order out of the way, Kirk found himself with nothing to do. It was odd considering all that had occurred, but here he was, already antsy to do something. So, he took the time to glance around the bridge and study the people who just made the impossible, possible.

Sulu and Chekov were quietly chatting about something though they were still monitoring their stations. Once and a while Chekov would say something then Sulu would chuckle causing the young ensign to become more animated. Kirk shook his head in mild amusement and swiveled his chair to get a better view of the communication and science stations.

It was relatively silent in that vicinity save for a few stray beeps and blips resulting from the computer's activity. Uhura continued to monitor the subspace frequencies though she occasionally snuck quick glances towards Spock who was dutifully studying the screens in front of him. Kirk had the urge to go over and see what was so fascinating at the moment, but he refrained.

As he continued to observe the bridge and her crew, Kirk could not help it. He grinned widely.

"You guys are the best."

All previous activity ceased on the bridge as all eyes turned to the captain's sudden exclamation. Kirk had not meant to say that aloud, but they did not need to know that, so he just played it off with a smile. It worked well enough. The crew saw nothing wrong with it and even if they did find it off in some way, it was easily forgiven as nobody had the energy to say otherwise. Everybody resumed their stations.

"Captain, as per your request, it has been ten minutes." declared Spock.

Kirk noted in amusement that Spock had not even looked up from his station and continued to work diligently as he informed him of the time.

"Thank you, Mr. Spock. Engineering and communications, your turn."

He jerked his thumb towards the turbo lift and could not help grin a little as Uhura waltzed by and shot him an exasperatedly amused look before disappearing behind the lift's doors.

The minute the doors shut, the sound of another set of doors swished open. A small group of officers stepped onto the bridge and wasted no time in assuming the vacated stations. Kirk was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency of the crew. He watched those who still had about fifteen minutes before the actual beta shift started. They stood unobtrusively to the side and allowed those who were still working to continue to do so in peace.

It did not take long for another ten minutes to pass and this time, Kirk dismissed the helmsman and navigator. Out of all the crewmembers, Sulu and Chekov were the most reluctant to leave their stations. It was not that they did not trust the other shift officers, but rather, they were like Scott in that they loved what they did. However, orders were orders and they turned over control dutifully and exited through the turbo lift.

By now, the only alpha shift crewmembers remaining on the bridge were Kirk and Spock. The former briefly addressed the next shift while the latter continued to study the computer's readouts and keep track of the time. And when that time came too quickly, Kirk understood Sulu and Chekov's reluctance to leave.

"Well then, everyone, mind the store."

With those final words, he resolutely stood up and forced himself to calmly walk away from the command chair. Spock waited patiently for him by the turbo lift doors and even when Kirk approached, he made no movement to get in. So, they stood there for a few eternal moments before Spock cocked an eyebrow and Kirk frowned in confusion.

"Why aren't you getting in?" Kirk asked.

"I am waiting for you." was the quiet answer.

Kirk tried to figure out how that was a good answer since he was clearly already there.

"Well, I'm here, so, what's the hold up?"

If Spock were any other person, he would have sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, or face palmed. Instead, he calmly and just as quietly answered,

"It is customary and proper manners for the highest ranking officer to enter and exit first."

Somewhere and someplace, Kirk vaguely recalled hearing that, but he could not recall a time he actually observed such a procedure. Then again, until recently, he did not really respect authority. However, even though he was beginning to understand and even respect those in authority, he was slightly uncomfortable with Spock deferring to him. Captain he may be at the moment, but when it came down to it, at the end of the day, Spock was the commanding officer.

"Right. I knew that. Very well." he responded. Spock lightly bowed his head without a trace of judgment or bitterness.

Then, with all the captain-like confidence he could muster, Kirk strode into the turbo lift while Spock joined him and stood by his side with a more subdued confidence.

* * *

**A/N:** Over 7000 words and only the first chapter. There are many more chapters. It will be long. Observe my short sentences here and my overuse of run-ons in the story. This isn't beta'd so if there are mistakes, they are mine and mine alone. Grammar and I don't get along. Neither does my thought process and coherency. So don't be afraid to ask questions, make comments, or whatever else people do these days. Feedback is welcome and subconciously desired. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and stick around for the rest.

Party like a Vulcan,  
~Tofu


	2. Space is Darkness and Silence

Space is disease and danger wrapped darkness and silence. Doctor Leonard McCoy still stood by this statement. The bridge crew of alpha shift shuffled through the doors to sickbay like they were being marched to the firing squad. McCoy is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence. At least, that was what he thought about as he systematically declared each one bruised, tired, and needing rest. Save for the brief answers he received from his questions, all his patients treated him like he was more dangerous than space. And he loved it.

"Take it easy for the next two shifts, get at least six hours of sleep, and don't come back here any time soon."

Uhura nodded her head once in understanding. She slid off the medical bed and adjusted the hem of her red dress uniform before quickly exiting the medical bay. As the doors opened for her, she almost ran into Kirk.

"I know I'm irresistible, but really, Uhura, we shouldn't in front of him." Kirk jerked his thumb towards Spock who watched the exchange dispassionately. Uhura rolled her eyes and poked her index finger in his chest.

"So your ego is proportional to your status." she teased. Then she looked over at Spock who was standing by the captain's side.

She glanced between the two before shaking her head and walked past them. However, when she passed by, she slowed down enough to share a meaningful stare with Spock. He bowed his head and stepped to the side to allow more space for her to move.

When she was down the hall a ways, Kirk and Spock finally maneuvered their way into the sickbay. McCoy spotted them immediately and made a bee line for them.

"Miracles do happen." He put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disbelief. "Here I figured I'd have to chase the two of you down."

"Well, if you don't hurry this up, I guarantee you'll have to chase at least one of us." Kirk responded with a smirk.

"Fine then. Who wants to go first?" asked McCoy.

Kirk and Spock shared a brief look before pointing to the other man. McCoy frowned at the both of them.

"Children?" he asked with no small amount of sarcasm.

"You get to go first 'cause you let me get on the lift first…So yeah, it's my duty as captain to ensure every crewmember reports in." The flimsy and hastily organized reason Kirk offered was greeted by two arched eyebrows expressing their bemusement.

Finally, Spock acquiesced and lay down on the medical bed. The sensor above the bed sprang to life with a series of beeps as it measured his vitals. McCoy studied the readings, furrowed his brows, and then shook his head.

"Pulse around two hundred forty, blood pressure next to nothing. From what I've gathered from the others, you're perfectly healthy…assuming that green stuff in your veins is actually blood." he declared with sarcasm.

"The fact that I am physiologically different from you, Doctor, delights me." Spock responded with just as much sarcasm in his own monotone and understated way.

Kirk had to stifle a laugh as he listened to the science and medical officers match the other's challenging stare. When Spock made a move to sit up, he was promptly shoved back down by McCoy. Though brief, Kirk was able to catch the confused and scandalized look Spock shot the doctor's way when he was manhandled.

"I'm not done with you yet." McCoy glared pointedly at Spock who was once again perfectly impassive. Turning to the side, McCoy grabbed a medical tricorder sitting on a nearby tray and began examining Spock.

He remained silent as he read the information being spit out at him by the device. Spock waited just as silent and patiently though Kirk could make out the tensed muscles around his jaw indicating Spock was not thrilled to be there.

"…Hmph. Alright, I'm done with you."

Even though he gave Spock the okay, he still had a deeper frown than usual which Kirk had learned it meant the doctor was not happy. It tended to show up when he was ranting about space or thinking about his ex-wife. It concerned Kirk that he was doing it now. However, Spock just sat up and slid off the bed with his usual composure.

"Go get some rest." McCoy jerked his head towards the exit before adding, "And I mean, actually get into a bed, close your eyes, and sleep."

With a heavy emphasis on "sleep," McCoy made a point to glare and maintain eye contact with the Vulcan. Spock simply bowed his head ever so slightly while straightening out his uniform.

"Yes, Doctor. However, I must point out that 'rest' and 'sleep' are two separate activities. If you mean for me to sleep, then you should say so. If you mean for me to rest-"

"Dammit! Just get out of here and do either one for all I care!" McCoy loudly interrupted Spock and angrily pointed towards the exit.

Tilting his head slightly, Spock just spun on his heel and calmly exited the sickbay. On his way out, Kirk could have sworn he heard him mutter, "illogical," under his breath. This caused him to grin. When the doors swished shut, Kirk allowed himself to chuckle and give a friendly slap on the back to McCoy.

"You know, I think Spock sees you as if you're a walking, talking, illogical puzzle."

The doctor's answer was a loud hiss as he injected Kirk in the neck with a hypospray. McCoy drew an inordinate amount of satisfaction watching his patient twitch and grimace.

"That's a painkiller and I swear, if I ever hear the words 'illogical' or 'logical' when you speak about me, I will kick your country ass over the rainbow." he finished with a second hypospray to the other side of Kirk's neck.

"And what the hell was that one?" Kirk asked as he massaged both sides of his neck.

"It'll help the bruising on your bones and take care of the damage from trying to fight a Romulan fist with your face." There was sarcasm laced with concern from McCoy as he none to gently pushed Kirk into lying down on the bed.

The readings overhead were slightly elevated due to the stressful situation, but they were within normal enough readings. It was just like all the others. Increased amounts of adrenaline quickly fading resulting in exhaustion, it was the same physiological response as all the others.

"Other than being a pain in the ass, you're good to go. Same goes for you. Get some rest…" he said while prodding Kirk in the back to get him moving. "Now, if there aren't any more emergencies, I'm going to sleep, not rest. I have Pike's surgery scheduled during the next alpha shift."

When he said that, Kirk took a moment to take in the disheveled appearance of the doctor. His shoulders were slumped slightly and dark rings were becoming more pronounced under his eyes. He ran a hand roughly over his face before letting out a heavy sigh. Kirk sat up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah…you look like shit." he told him with a cheeky grin.

This caused McCoy to shake his head with a grin and swat his friend on the shoulder. They remained in companionable silence a few more minutes before Kirk finally slid off the bed and stretched. He grimaced as he felt his muscles protest.

"Go on, get out of here. I want to go to bed." McCoy jerked his head towards the exit.

Kirk shot him one last grin before strolling out of the sickbay. However, as he was passing through the threshold, he paused and looked back at the doctor.

"Hey, Bones, is Spock okay?"

McCoy frowned a little bit as he debated whether or not to tell Kirk anything. After a brief mental debate, the doctor shrugged his shoulders in defeat and motioned for Kirk to follow him into the somewhat intact doctor's office. He waited for his friend to enter into the office and begun once Kirk came closer.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know about any of the Vulcans on board right now." He held up his hand to prevent Kirk from saying anything before continuing. "I'm aware that they got some sort of Vulcan voodoo, telepathic, something or another, and their brain waves are a bit different from your average human."

As he spoke, McCoy carelessly overturned every object in the space before finding the elusive object. It was a small, silver, and very familiar object. He spun the cap off the flask and took a large gulp.

"But I looked up Spock's medical history to see just what is considered normal for them." McCoy offered the flask of alcohol to a happy Kirk and continued, "Physical vitals are just peachy…weird, but peachy. But, the mental ones, well, they're not so peachy."

"Have you asked him or any of the others about it?" Kirk asked.

Despite his innocent question, Kirk was attacked immediately by a suddenly irate McCoy.

"Of course I asked! And do you know what they said?!" Kirk had to fight the urge to cringe under the wide-eyed, angry McCoy glare. The doctor threw his hands up and ranted, "They told me it's none of my business! It is my business, dammit, 'cause I'm the doctor!"

He finished by slamming his hands down on the desk. Even though the doctor was now fuming, Kirk could not help but let slip a self-satisfied grin. It turned out he was not the only one who was told that. Given the finality of the way Spock had told Kirk that on the transporter pad in regards to a certain communications officer; he understood why McCoy kept his mouth shut.

"Yeah, well, good luck on finding any answers. What I want to know though, is Spock going to fine for the rest of the trip home?" It was hard to keep the trepidation from his voice as he asked McCoy the question. There was still a long ways to go, Pike was incapacitated, and most of the experienced officers were dead or next to it. Kirk was fairly certain Spock was the only one out of the current bridge crew who had any previous experience.

"Seems like it. He doesn't look like he's going to have homicidal urges again any time soon." McCoy gave a lop-sided grin as he stared pointedly at the bruising beginning to form around Kirk's neck. "I don't know how he did it, or does it, but he's probably the most at peace person on this ship."

Kirk took a moment to digest that response. It seemed true enough; after the emotionally compromised event on the bridge, Spock resumed his duty, brought about the end of Nero, and did not hold a grudge against the man who tricked him out of the captaincy. At least, Spock did not seem to, though given how repressed he was, Kirk was not wholly positive. Well, Kirk figured that he would find out sooner or later. He was never one to dwell too hard on things outside of his control.

"Huh, I'll have to ask him how he does it then." declared Kirk.

McCoy smirked and responded,

"Don't come crawling to me when he chokes you again."

The only answer he gave the doctor was a mischievous grin as he tossed the flask back to him. McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Good, get out of here."

He took McCoy's order with a mock salute and march-skipped out of the sickbay. Kirk was feeling better than when he entered and strode confidently towards the turbo lift. When the doors closed, however, something dawned on him. The doctor's order was to get rest. The problem was, Kirk did not have a place to rest since he was snuck on board through McCoy's clever subterfuge. To compound the problem, majority of the ship's rooms were already double occupied due to the large number of survivors on board. He already knew McCoy was sharing a room with another doctor so that option was out. So now he was left to himself with nowhere to follow the doctor's orders.

"Guess I could ask Spock…" he mumbled quietly to himself. But, he was reluctant to do so. As the captain, he felt that he should keep up some sort of image, even though he was not completely sure as to what that image was supposed to be. To Kirk, asking Spock where he should sleep would damage whatever image he had.

"What is it you would ask?" Spock's question startled Kirk who whipped around just to come face to face with the very person he was trying to make a positive impression on.

"Spock! I, uh…" he fumbled for words, but quickly regained his composure. "Well you see, I was just determining where I should be staying."

Impressions be damned. Kirk had never felt the need to make a certain impression on anybody and he was not about to start now. Spock noticed his resolve and was curious as to what it was the captain decided. Nevertheless, it was not his business nor in his nature to pry into another person's privacy. He simply cocked an eyebrow and responded,

"As captain of this vessel, it would be logical to reside in the captain's quarters."

Of course Spock would have a logical answer. Kirk studied him a little bit but could find no traces of judgment or sarcasm. Whatever was going on in Spock's mind was clearly not for anybody to know. But at this moment, he was simply answering a question.

"Yes. Of course. Pike's in sickbay and the room is free. Guess it was a good idea to ask you, huh?" he offered Spock a friendly grin. Spock in turn remained neutral.

"Indeed."

Just as there was no sarcasm in his previous statement, there was no hint of gloating or arrogance. Once more, he was simply stating a logical fact free of emotion. Kirk ran his hand over his face and continued to grin, though with less intensity.

"Right then, I don't suppose I could bother you to tell me where the captain's quarters are located exactly?" Kirk knew the basic layouts of constitution class ships, but just as there were various designs to each one, certain locations varied.

Spock nodded his head in the affirmative and gestured for the turbo lift.

"It is not a 'bother' to answer your query. I am also on my way to my quarters."

The door to the lift opened and Kirk remembered Spock's lecture. He made sure he entered first before Spock followed him. Reaching over, Spock pressed the commands to take them to Deck 5. There was a soft whir then the lift stopped. Even though Spock was the one leading him to his quarters, Kirk figured he was expected to get out first.

After exiting the turbo lift, Spock resumed walking and Kirk matched his pace. A little ways down the hallway, Spock stopped in front of a door.

"Your quarters, Captain."

Kirk walked towards the door and was pleasantly surprised to see the door slide open for him. He took one step inside and paused to take in his surroundings.

There was a definite lack of character in the room, but that was to be expected considering this was the first voyage of the _Enterprise_ and the recent events, he was certain nobody had time to spare for decorating. It was all the better for him. Kirk knew he would definitely feel out of place if the room had been laced with Pike's personal touches.

"Do you require anything else, Captain?"

He was shaken out of his reverie by Spock's question. Kirk turned a bit and smiled.

"Nope. This is perfect. Thanks, Spock." he replied genuinely pleased.

Lightly bowing his head in acknowledgement, Spock was about to leave when he paused and then clasped his hands loosely behind his back.

"Captain?" he asked.

"Huh? Uh, yeah?" came Kirk's clever reply.

"When you are sufficiently rested as in accordance with the doctor's wishes, there are documents and paperwork Starfleet has requested from you."

"Of course there is." he rolled his eyes. "You know what? I'll just find you once I'm done resting."

"Very well, Captain." Spock acquiesced promptly.

He bowed his head slightly in respect and then began walking away. Kirk watched him leave before turning his attention back to his quarters. First, he walked over to the desk sitting unobtrusively in the corner and ran a hand over the surface. Keeping his hand on the desk, he walked around it until he came to the chair. It was hard to suppress a grin as he slowly lowered himself in the seat. It gave a little under his weight but continued to support him. With a small smirk, Kirk propped his feet on the desk and reclined backwards.

After spending a few minutes of basking in the authoritative feeling of the desk, Kirk dropped his feet back to the floor and stood up. There was a slight crick in his back as he did so and he rubbed it as he moved to the other side of the partial partition. A single bed comprised the bulk of the sleeping area. Kirk padded over to it and sat down on it to test its firmness. It was comfortable and that was enough for Kirk. He flopped backwards with his arms spread out. With every intention of getting back up and changing, he did absolutely nothing. He simply stared at the ceiling and eventually settled on closing his eyes.

When Kirk opened his eyes again, he realized he felt stiff. He sat up with a soft groan as his muscles protested the movement. With no small amount of effort, Kirk was able to push himself into a sitting position. His legs felt slightly numb from lack of use and when he flexed the muscles and rotated his ankles, a tingling sensation shot up through his limbs. Sighing loudly, he rocked back and forth a few times before using the momentum to stand up. Stretching and rubbing, his body finally began to cooperate. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the office area.

Punching a button on the computer sitting on the desk, Kirk groggily asked,

"What time is it?"

"Current time is 2347 hours." the computer replied immediately.

While he realized he had fallen asleep, Kirk had hoped he would have slept longer than a little over an hour. Banging his head against the desk, he wondered what he should be doing now. Kirk, despite the feeling of lethargy, no longer felt like he could sleep. Doctor McCoy may have given orders to rest, but right now, his mind was still buzzing from all that had happened.

Never one to sit around and twiddle his thumbs, Kirk resolved himself to push away from the desk and exit his quarters. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the now deserted hallway. The lights were dimmed to indicate evening hours in an attempt to simulate day and night. Regardless of the damage, the ship was apparently still able to support these simple, but necessary features.

"Now let's see. Where's Spock's quarters?" Kirk mumbled to himself as he began walking down a ways. He strolled down the hallway checking the nameplates as he went along. When he wound up on the opposite end of where his quarters were located, he finally saw the nameplate bearing Commander Spock's name.

He was about to hit the door chime and hoped he was not waking him up or disturbing him. However, before he could even press the button, the doors slid open to reveal a Vulcan, but he was not Spock.

Kirk immediately stiffened as he came face to face with Ambassador Sarek. Now, Kirk had not been properly introduced to the man and he vaguely recalled seeing him on the bridge when he goaded Spock into a fit of rage. He was positive he could not have made a good impression.

Sarek stood straight and tall like his son but made Spock look warm and friendly when it came to expressions, or rather, non-expression. Then again, Kirk though, it could just be that he was intimidated just because this Vulcan happened to be Spock's father. Whatever the case, it made no difference. Kirk was frozen to the spot.

"There is no logical reason for you to hold your breath." Sarek spoke in complete monotone devoid of any inflection.

It took a moment for Kirk to realize he was actually holding his breath. He maintained his composure and slowly exhaled. Standing just a little bit straighter, Kirk schooled his expression into one of neutrality.

"Of course, you're right. By any chance would you happen to know where Spock is?" he asked.

There was an awkward silence between the two for a minute that stretched into eternity before Sarek spoke again.

"He said to meet him in science lab nine."

"Great. Thanks." Kirk bowed his head stiffly and added, "And I'm truly sorry for…everything."

He felt it a grossly inadequate apology, but he was not quite sure if there was an appropriate thing to say when somebody lost his planet and spouse. Deciding it was probably best if he just left, Kirk had every intention of leaving but found himself stuck to the spot where he was standing. He felt pinned in place under the scrutinizing stare. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but after a brief moment, Sarek bowed his head a bit deeper.

"Your grief and empathy are appreciated."

"Uh, yeah, no problem." Kirk answered skillfully. He offered one last awkward bow before spinning on his heel and all but running away.

When he arrived at the turbolift, Kirk breathed heavily in relief and punched the button for Deck 9. By the time the lift arrived at its destination, he had put the previous event behind him and was ready to find Spock.

Just like the crew quarters, the hallway on this deck was also deserted. For this, Kirk was infinitely grateful. This level housed the irascible doctor himself. While technically he had slept, but he had a feeling McCoy would not agree with him. So, with great care, he made his way as quickly as possible to science lab 9.

It was easy enough to locate the lab and enter. Kirk glanced around the space and spotted Spock sitting at a lab desk diligently typing away at the computer. Upon approaching, Kirk noticed that he was not working with just one, but four different screens at once. A wry smile worked its way onto his face as he realized Spock completely ignored the doctor's orders and was working right under his nose.

"You've got a funny way of following Bones' orders." said Kirk with amusement.

Spock did not look up from his work, but did raise a single eyebrow.

"I believe the humans have a saying, 'what he does not know, will not hurt him.'"

This caused Kirk to burst out laughing and he slapped Spock on the back. He faltered for half a second at the physical contact but was still able to continue typing.

"Sounds good to me. I won't tell if you won't tell." he chirped playfully.

"I had no intention to do so." Spock intoned seriously.

Clearly, the humor was lost on Spock, but that did not deter Kirk's newfound good mood. He leaned against the desk Spock was working on and hummed a tune to himself while he waited for Spock to finish.

"I shall be with you in a moment, Captain." said Spock.

He ceased typing and then flipped open his communicator.

"Mr. Scott."

"Scott here." came the immediate reply.

"I have examined the readings you have provided. I agree with your assessment. Continue as you were."

"Aye, sir. I still cannae believe I-"

Without waiting for Scott to continue, Spock snapped the communicator shut much to Kirk's amusement. He shut off the computer and stood up.

"If you are willing, I have the prepared documents requiring your attention." Kirk blanched a little when Spock told him he basically had homework.

"Great. Sounds like fun." Kirk sarcastically replied.

"Based off your predilection for circumventing proper procedure, I do not see why you would find paperwork 'fun.'" The serious tone in his voice made it difficult for Kirk to determine if Spock understood the sarcasm. He figured he would err on the side of caution and say the Vulcan did not get it.

"No, I don't." his answer was met with a raised eyebrow. Kirk quickly explained, "I was being sarcastic."

Nodding his head a few times, Spock accepted the answer though he was still dubious as to the details behind human sarcasm. However, he acknowledged its uses and determined Kirk was a person who relied on such a tactic often.

"I see. Would you prefer to complete the paperwork here or in another location?" he asked.

Kirk eagerly responded,

"Yeah, let's get out of here. I don't want to be caught by Bones any time soon."

"Logical enough."

If he was not mistaken, Kirk was sure Spock was being sassy, but then again, it could be his imagination. Sassy Spock, while hilarious, was a phenomenon with too low of a probability to even bother computing.

Pushing off the ledge of the desk, Kirk led the way out of the lab and back to his quarters. The two men walked in amicable silence until they reached the captain's quarters. Kirk invited Spock in and motioned towards the desk.

"Alright hit me with it." he said as he plopped into his chair.

"Why should I want to hit you with the PADD?"

The genuine confusion on Spock's face caused Kirk an inner fit of giggles. Realizing that vocalizing his amusement would get them nowhere, he took a moment to explain.

"No, I really don't want you to hit me. It's just an old Earth saying." he said.

"I see. Earth seems to have an abundance of these illogical sayings."

Kirk had a feeling that Spock had to resort to such an explanation more often than not. He shook his head and decided to rephrase it.

"Alright, please give me the reports."

Spock was much more accepting of this request and responded by setting a PADD on the desk. After typing something on the touch screen, he slid the device over for Kirk to read.

"I have arranged the necessary documents in order of importance. When you have completed these, you may begin writing your report."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kirk imagined this was Spock's I-am-the-teacher-and-you-will-obey-me voice. Perhaps, when Uhura was in a better mood, he would ask her since she obviously had him as a teacher. However, at the moment, he figured it best to assume he was right and listen.

"Right. So I'm supposed to just read these and sign off on them?"

"Indeed, Captain."

Taking a deep breath and cracking his knuckles, Kirk grabbed the PADD and immediately deflated when he saw the number of reports and documents needing to be signed off. He knew that there would be a lot of them, he just had not expected there to be an amount in the triple digits.

"If I may Captain?" Spock interrupted his depressed and overwhelmed thoughts.

"Uh, yeah?" asked Kirk.

"As I have already read through and organized the reports, it is not necessary for you to examine each one."

Kirk studied Spock a few moments before cracking out a sly grin. Spock, on his part, just cocked a single eyebrow.

"Mr. Spock, are you suggesting I just sign off and not actually read what I'm signing?"

"I suggest nothing. I have merely pointed out the redundancy of reading them a second time. What you choose to do with the information is beyond my control." Spock blandly stated as he resolutely kept his gaze fixated on the nearby wall.

"Okay. Just look away then." he replied with another cheeky grin.

And just as before, Spock studied him with a quizzical tilt of his head.

"I was doing so, Captain."

"Er, right. We'll leave it at that." Kirk ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. He was about to get started when he realized Spock was still standing at his desk. "So, are you just going to stand there the whole time?"

"You have given no indication as to what you would want me to do; therefore, I have remained stationary."

At this point, Kirk was beginning to think Spock was being dense and difficult deliberately. For what reason, he had no idea except that he found it somewhat irritating. He never liked puzzles. As a result, he made it his personal mission to solve any and every puzzle thrown his way.

"Fine. If you're not needed anywhere, you will stay here in case I have any questions." ordered Kirk. He doubted he would have any questions, but whatever game Spock was playing at, Kirk was willing to play.

"Affirmative, Captain." Spock obeyed and remained exactly where he was.

Kirk noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to stand there. Have a seat or something and occupy yourself somehow."

"If it does not distract you, I will take time to meditate." he said.

Sweeping his hand across the room, Kirk indicated that anywhere was fine. Spock bowed his head in acknowledgement and walked over to the sleeping area. In one fluid movement, he was sitting cross legged on the floor, back ramrod straight as ever. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths as he quieted his thoughts and focused his mind inward.

Kirk watched Spock out of the corner of his eye fascinated at how fast he was able to enter a meditative state. From what he could tell, Spock was breathing much slower than normal and looked dead to the world.

As interesting as it was figuring out what Vulcans think about during meditation, Kirk resolved himself to bite the bullet and begin the reports. Contrary to popular belief, Kirk did take sound advice to heart when it suited him and so, he did not even glance at the heading of each document. All he did was sign one, go to the next, and then repeat. The progress was faster than he thought, but after an hour ticked by, he was still no where close to finishing. Nevertheless, he did not let it get him down since he really did make a solid dent in the numbers. Only a hundred or so remained. Leaning back in his chair, Kirk cracked his back but suddenly cringed when he remembered Spock was still in the room.

He quickly looked over to the sleeping area and found Spock in exactly the same position he was in as before. The Vulcan looked unperturbed and Kirk could not resist sidling over and studying him. Tentatively waving his hand in front of Spock's face, Kirk was pleased that he received no response. He wondered how aware Spock was of his surroundings.

"Is there something you require, Captain?"

Kirk was about to poke Spock on the shoulder when he suddenly spoke. Surprised, he fell back and hit his back against the partition. As he rubbed his back, he looked over at Spock who was watching him with an amused glance. And it was not one of those not quite expressions Kirk pretended to see, but a genuinely amused expression. He guessed if it had been any other person, he would be grinning madly at catching the captain off guard. Instead, the corner of Spock's mouth merely twitched up a fraction and his left eyebrow was raised.

"Um, did I interrupt you?" he asked as casually as he could.

"No. I was aware you had ceased working and reasoned you would seek my attention." Spock replied just as casually. Though, as an afterthought, he tagged on, "Captain, what were you attempting to accomplish by making physical contact between my shoulder and your index finger?"

"I was going to poke you." Settling on the straightforward answer seemed like the best option at the moment no matter how embarrassed he was to admit it.

Spock nodded his head slowly and looked in the mid-horizon as he processed what he was told.

"And how would such an action serve you?"

"Satisfy my childish curiosity and poke you." Kirk answered. Even when he was a child, he always felt the need to poke anything he did not understand or piqued his curiosity.

"Fascinating. You fully admit to having childish and immature propensities." Though Spock stated it with his usual blandness, Kirk was completely caught off guard by the almost playful quality to his voice.

"Are…are you teasing me?" Kirk asked incredulously.

Just as quick as his expressions appeared, it was wiped away and replaced with one of neutrality and almost dismay.

"Forgive me, Captain. It was inappropriate for-"

Kirk quickly interrupted him eagerly.

"No, no, no. Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. I just wasn't expecting it. I don't mind it all." He smiled to show that he meant what he said. "Though I should have guessed after you teased Bones."

Spock bowed his head in acknowledgement and stood up with minimal effort and movement. Kirk was envious at how easily he could move after sitting still for so long. With a little more effort, Kirk also stood up and hid a grimace when he felt his muscles pull and stretch.

"I assume you have not yet completed the reports and have ceased working in order to pursue some other activity?" he asked.

The captain thought about it a bit and grinned.

"Yeah, food. I haven't eaten anything for…well, however long I've been on this ship." As he was about to exit his quarters, he looked over his shoulder questioningly. "Er, the replicators are working, right?"

"Affirmative, Captain."

This made him happy to hear. He figured something had to be working for their week and a half long trip, but it was reassuring to hear that the ship was still in working order for the most part.

"Care to join me in the mess hall? You can show me more of that humor of yours." he told Spock with a sly grin.

"I do not tease nor provide humor. I merely state fact and observation."

He might have believed that if he had not previously witnessed Spock's previous attempt at teasing. However, Kirk was becoming wise to the Vulcan's more subtle tricks.

"Right. Of course you do." His tone made it clear that he did not believe it for a minute, but Spock simply ignored him.

"Shall we, Captain?"

"Yeah, let's go. And we're off duty so you don't actually have to call me 'captain.'" Kirk swat his shoulder when Spock opened his mouth to speak. "And don't give me any of that. You called me Jim before, so I know you have that ability."

Spock considered his accusation a moment, weighed the pros and cons of the situation, and replied,

"Very well, Jim."

* * *

**A/N:** Chapter 2 and no space disasters have occured. They deserve a little break. Still a bit of a long chapter, though shorter than the previous. After much contemplation, I'm going to do one more chapter and leave this little bit as a prologue. It's slow, but I wanted to write a little in between the scenes because I'm OCPD like that. The second bit is where all the action is at and I mean that in every literal and inappropriately non-literal way. Next chapter should be up soon. It'll probably be posted along with the next story. Who knows? I sure as hell don't. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Love long and prosper,  
~Tofu


	3. The First Officer

The return to Starfleet command was more than eventful. After pulling into the space dock and being mobbed by personnel and reporters, they boarded shuttlecrafts where they arrived in San Francisco and were mobbed by personnel and reporters. The crew of the _Enterprise_ was too tired to deal with any of it and made an extra effort to stay inside until the craze died down a bit. Thankfully, it was easier than anybody thought since Starfleet made a great effort to reinstate classes and allow the senior class to finish and graduate.

Classes seemed so hum drum compared to the previous time spent on the _Enterprise_. While most were glad for the sedate pace, some were finding it lacking. By the time it came to graduating, James Kirk was just itching to go back into space. His friend and vitriolic doctor Leonard McCoy was not as eager, though some deep part of him wanted to return to the ship; not that he would actually admit that to anybody.

"C'mon man! Don't you want to get back up there and have all kinds of spacey adventures?"

McCoy looked over at Kirk like he was some kind of idiot.

"'Spacey adventures?' You graduate from Starfleet and all you can say is you want to have spacey adventures? Grow the hell up, Jim."

This only caused Kirk to grin ear to ear. They were walking down the now empty hallway pausing every so often to check the directories periodically lining the hallway. Most of Starfleet Academy was empty of cadets now that the training period was done. The only people left were the teachers who were finishing up the final papers and grades.

"So, did they purposely try and find the farthest hole in the wall office for him or something? Where the hell is it?" Kirk asked impatiently.

"Space you can handle. Finding that pointy eared bastard's office, way too complicated for your 'spacey adventure' brain." McCoy's answer dripped with sarcasm.

Either taking the sarcasm in stride or just remaining oblivious to it, Kirk studied a nearby directory and absent-mindedly speculated.

"Maybe he's got like a cloaking device or something."

Rolling his eyes, the good doctor just crossed his arms impatiently and irritably tapped his foot against the tile floor.

"Right. Jim, don't you say anything after this but, that's just damn illogical." growled McCoy.

Kirk simply shrugged and began exploring the hallway. When they arrived at an intersection, Kirk looked back and forth between the two before settling on the left path. McCoy was about to suggest they call it quits since he had better things to do than look for Spock when Kirk shouted in triumph.

"Ah ha! See, told ya so! I found it!"

Slapping his hand to his face, McCoy shook his head and smacked him upside the head.

"What the hell do you want? A medal?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I want a medal for awesomness in finding offices." replied Kirk with a cheeky grin.

A second smack echoed through the hallway as McCoy walked past him and approached the door labeled, "Commander Spock." He was about to hit the intercom buzzer, but before he even reached the button, a voice called out,

"Enter."

The door slid to the side and revealed Spock sitting at a desk reading a series of PADDs. He did not even look up as Kirk and McCoy stepped inside.

"Hey, Spock!" Kirk grinned as he waved.

"Doctor. Captain." he responded calmly.

"How did you know we were coming?" McCoy asked.

"Simple, Doctor. I heard you down the hall. I believe it was around the cloaking device on my office part."

There was really nothing to say. McCoy frowned as he realized that it meant Spock heard him say "illogical." Kirk bit back a grin.

As they waited in front of his desk, Kirk and McCoy shared an awkward glance. Despite standing in front of his desk, Spock had yet to make any other acknowledgment of their existence. He just continued to read and type away at the PADDs. Kirk opened his mouth and was about to talk, but he was interrupted.

"At this point, it would be logical for you to state your purpose for visiting."

"Blunt bastard, aren't you?" McCoy grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"While I acknowledge your deficiency in manners, I presumed you were capable of basic communication. I apologize for my assumption and I offer my condolences."

It took every ounce of control Kirk had to keep from collapsing due to laughter. McCoy blustered and stalked menacingly to Spock's desk.

"Oh I'll show you basic communication!"

Still laughing, Kirk grabbed his friend by the arm and patted his shoulder consolingly. From what he could tell, McCoy did not appreciate Spock's attempt at humor. Then again, there was a good chance he was not trying to be humorous and was simply stating the facts. If that were the case, it was all the funnier.

"Easy, Bones. I'm sure Spock's just swamped with final papers and getting grades in for before graduation."

Not looking up, Spock nodded his head once.

"Indeed. I am compiling the final results of recent Kobayashi Maru participants."

That piqued Kirk's interest. The damnable test was still going on even though he had shown it was possible to beat it. Of course, he might have "cheated" on the test, but he still stood by his defense of creativity.

Before they had arrived back on Earth, Kirk had wondered what would happen to him since the Nero crisis interrupted his trial. He assumed it would resume and the council would definitely rule in his favor. Turned out, by the time he returned, there was no indication that he had ever been on trial. Even though McCoy had told him to just be thankful and leave it, Kirk had asked around and nobody had any idea what had happened. The admiralty was adamantly silent on the whole matter as well. Kirk finally suspected it had something to do with the Vulcan sitting across from him.

"Oh, so what's the average grade so far?" he asked casually.

"There are no grades for the Kobayashi Maru, therefore it is pointless to average anything."

Spock's answer surprised both Kirk and McCoy. By referring to the program as a test, they had assumed grades were involved. Leaning against the desk, Kirk inquired curiously.

"So wait, if there aren't any grades, how do you determine if somebody passes or not?"

At this point, Spock finally looked up. He cocked his eyebrow and quietly answered,

"The point of the Kobayashi Maru is not to pass. As I stated previously, it is designed to put potential captains in situations that are out of their control and determine how the participant maintains control." Spock paused a moment and picked up one of the PADDs. "During the course of the simulation, I observe the cadets and assess their decisions. If you wish to know, I have the final report for all three attempts at the Kobayashi Maru for your perusal."

Reigning in his eagerness, Kirk grabbed the offered PADD and began reading. He was only vaguely aware of McCoy looking over his shoulder.

He was sure he would see harsh comments regarding his behavior and the method in which he handled the test the third time. Instead, Kirk was more than surprised at the detached, but praising commentary. From what he could tell, he had done pretty damn good his first time around. Apparently Spock had found his ability to be confident in his decision making above average and noted the determination he possessed in attempting the test a second and third time. It was then that he arrived at the most important part. As he read through Spock's notes, he was not surprised to read about the near offensive act of initiating a sub-routine. What caught his eye most though, was the grudging respect for such a creative approach. Even if he was cheating and missing the point entirely, the act itself spoke loudly of his character. The stubbornness and absolute refusal to accept defeat, according to Spock anyway, indicated a positive quality many starship captains were lacking. In the end, he concluded that Kirk would make an excellent captain in light of his unorthodox approach and blasé method of changing parameters.

"Good job, Jim. You passed the first time. Why the hell did I do it another two times?" the gruffness to McCoy's rebuff was offset by the small smirk and almost proud look on his face.

Smiling back, Kirk handed the PADD back to Spock.

"Because you love me?"

"I'm fairly certain love had nothing to do with it." grumbled the doctor.

Punching his shoulder playfully, Kirk turned his attention back to Spock who had resumed studying the work laid out across his desk.

"So if there is no pass or fail, why is it even necessary? I mean, I get the whole judging characteristics, but there are other methods, you know?"

Spock glanced up and for all intents and purposes, looked like a teacher talking down to his students.

"You are correct that there are other methods. However, the Kobayashi Maru is not only a character indicator. It is a way for a potential captain to experience a life or death situation without having to face the consequences." explained Spock patiently. He sat back in his chair a bit as he continued to regard the young human before him. "Though there is no proper way to truly prepare any person for these situations, experiencing a simulation of it first makes it less…out of the blue, I believe is the human expression."

"So basically you just don't want people getting caught off guard." Kirk summarized.

Spock slowly nodded his head once.

"Indeed. It is too easy for an individual to assume such a situation could never occur under his or her command. That is, until the situation is at hand when he or she panics and is unable to command the vessel, which is worse than taking action and it leading to unfavorable consequences."

"Better to do something than not do anything at all, huh?" Kirk crossed his arms thoughtfully. "You really are into this test, aren't you? Speaking of which, have _you_ ever taken the Kobayashi Maru?"

"Negative. I created and designed it, but have not participated." came the bland reply.

"But something tells me you've done something similar? At least, that's what it kind of sounds like." pushed Kirk.

A brief pause and slight frown were quickly covered up as Spock began organizing the PADDs on his desk.

"Your assumption is correct. However, I was not the one in command."

Once the PADDs were placed just so, Spock resumed studying them with a new kind of intensity. McCoy arched a questioning eyebrow at Kirk who shrugged and shook his head. It was clear that there had reached the wall in the conversation and nobody would be happy or even in one piece if it continued.

"Right then…Jim, we didn't come all this way to read your files. Since it's your idea, you be a good boy and ask." McCoy easily switched to a new topic much to Kirk and Spock's relief.

"Be my first officer. No more saying no." He slapped the palm of his hand on the desk for emphasis.

Spock took a deep breath. It was only logical that the newly appointed captain would still be asking the same question. James Kirk was a most determined person when he wanted to.

"Regardless of your demand, I must still decline, Captain."

Though his shoulders drooped a little, the challenging glint in Kirk's eyes remained. McCoy stood a little ways back with his arms crossed. He was studying the whole situation with a critical eye reserved for the most difficult of surgeries. From what Kirk told him and from what little he could read the Vulcan, McCoy figured that the chances of getting Spock as the first office could go anyway.

"But I don't want anybody else to be the first officer." Kirk tried to keep the whine out of his voice. That would most likely lower his chances of convincing Spock.

"I am honored that you would consider no one else, however, to do so would be highly illogical. There are a number of candidates with more than satisfactory services." continued Spock.

McCoy just shook his head. This debate had been going on ever since classes ended and Kirk graduated with the rank of captain. It was unheard of. He would not only be the youngest person to ever make captain, he was the only one who had never served on a starship as any other rank. Even if there was now a scarcity in experienced officers since the Nero incident, it was still unheard of. Then again, the whole Nero incident was solved by a crew of young officers with little to no experience. Apparently weirder things have happened.

"Listen. I know that it's logical for you to go with your people, but it's not the right choice, and you know it. I also know that you want to be out there in space." Kirk continued to press.

"What I want is irrelevant. I have a duty as do you." Spock countered just as stubbornly.

Neither one was willing to budge from their positions. Even Pike, now an admiral, could not convince Spock to stay with Starfleet. No matter how hard anybody tried, Spock was determined to remain with the remaining survivors of Vulcan and help re-establish their species. It was logical and nobody could fault him for it. Kirk did not want to either, but it was damn difficult to do when Spock refused to even consider it. If he understood Spock's older counterpart correctly, the timeline is correcting itself so it is a given that Spock be his first officer. Therefore, if it had to happen sometime, it might as well happen as soon as possible. Besides, it would not have been necessary for Ambassador Spock to tell him it had to happen, Kirk knew, after the mission on Nero's ship, he did not want any other person to be his second-in-command.

"Don't try to fight it, Spock. It's going to happen." he said with a tone of finality.

The cocky grin Kirk shot at Spock resulted in a raised eyebrow. McCoy just rolled his eyes. It always started and ended the same. Both were absolutely determined not to give in to the other. McCoy shook his head and sighed. Those two did belong together if only to compliment each other's stubborn natures.

"You keep insisting on this and my answer remains the same. If you have nothing new to say, then I must excuse myself. Captain, Doctor."

"Commander."

Kirk and McCoy responded in unison. They followed Spock out of his office and watched him march resolutely down the hallway. When he was no longer visible, Kirk sighed and McCoy patted him on the arm commiserating.

"Dammit. I know it's gotta happen, Bones." Kirk crossed his arms absolutely perplexed as to how he was supposed to get the Vulcan to join him.

"Maybe it's not going to happen right now. I mean, things are already different. This could be one of those things." McCoy suggested.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Kirk crossed his arms and began nodding his head. McCoy knew that look.

"Fine. I'm bringing in the big guns. I'll see you later tonight."

Not even waiting for his friend to respond, Kirk took off down the hallway. He was going to try and avoid resorting to this, but Spock was leaving him with no choice. Word passed through earlier that a Vulcan ambassador had arrived from Delta Vega. Kirk grinned to himself. If anybody could tell him how to convince Spock, it was Spock.

As he thought about the elderly Vulcan, Kirk really wished he could tell this reality's Spock about him. The rest of the bridge crew, along with McCoy and Scott, knew about Spock's older alternate self. He even told Pike about it in a private report that Starfleet did not receive. So really, just about everybody knew about Ambassador Spock except Spock who probably at least guessed something along those lines. Thankfully though, Spock had made no move to ask anything about it.

Finally, after running around a bit, Kirk found who he was looking for. Ambassador Spock was casually strolling in the hallways outside the main auditorium.

"Hey, Ambassador!" Kirk called out to him.

Turning around, Ambassador Spock smiled gently.

"Jim. It is good to see you. I see you have become a captain now." he said genially.

It was strange to know that this Vulcan was the same person as Commander Spock. If Spock was to become his first officer, Kirk hoped that he would learn to mellow out like this Spock. However, something told him that it would be a long time before his Spock learned to relax like this one.

"Yeah. I'm captain now. Though I kinda feel bad about emotionally compromising you…Spock…whatever." Kirk replied uncertainly.

Ambassador Spock just smiled.

"Though we are the same being, we are not the same person. You may refer to us as two separate people."

Kirk was confused. Ambassador Spock continued patiently.

"We are from two very different worlds and led very different lives. Genetically we are the same, possess similar thought patterns, but Spock and I are two different people."

"Okay then…so is it weird to be referring to yourself as a second person?"

This caused the ambassador to laugh with a low chuckle. Seeing a Vulcan laugh, which was something Kirk was positive nobody else had ever seen. He was fairly certain that Ambassador Spock was a bit of a radical as far as a Vulcan went. The emotion that he saw on his face was proof enough. Of course, it was still subtle in comparison to a human, but after spending time with the younger Spock and Sarek, it was a noticeable difference.

"It is easier than it seems. I have not been that young for a long time nor was I ever so…intense."

"You're both really good at understatement." Kirk replied with a smirk.

"So I have been told on many occasions." Spock said with a wry smile. "But what is it you wish to talk to me about? Is it Spock?"

"You guessed it, Old Man."

"I anticipated my younger counterpart resigning from Starfleet and joining the remaining Vulcan survivors." Spock sagely acknowledged.

At the stunned look from Kirk, Spock raised a single eyebrow in a familiar gesture.

"It is exactly what I would do if I were in his place. I do know what I am thinking…most times anyways."

Kirk studied the older man carefully. He could not be sure, but he thought Ambassador Spock just made a joke. Actually, the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth made Kirk positive.

"So Vulcans can joke?" he asked incredulously.

"Not in the most obvious of manners." Spock answered off-handedly.

"Huh. I'll have to pay attention to that. Anyways though, what do I do to get Spock to be my first officer? You said it yourself, the timeline's correcting itself so he's going to be my first officer. Why isn't he going to be my first officer?"

"Calm down, Jim. Everything works according to its time."

"Well it's kind of running out. I may not know you as well as you know you, but from what I can tell, Spock isn't going to change his mind any time soon." Kirk said with a slight hitch in his voice.

Spock remained calm and nodded his head slowly.

"True. At that age, I was extremely stubborn. All I can say is to trust Spock and trust yourself. It will work out for the best."

"That's it?" he asked.

"That is it." Spock simply replied.

They stood in silence staring at each other for a few painfully long moments before Kirk looked away. He rubbed his hand through his hair roughly before speaking.

"Okay. I'll do that. But that doesn't mean I won't stop hounding him."

"I do not believe you should stop."

With a small parting grin, Spock turned around began walking again leaving Kirk alone and to his thoughts. While he was pacing the hallway thinking of ways to get Spock to stay with Starfleet, a small beep interrupted his thoughts.

"Shit."

Kirk cursed as he sprinted down the hallway and headed back towards the professors' offices. He had to meet with Pike in only a few moments to discuss which starship he would be captain of. He really did not want to be late for such an important meeting.

As he ran through the hallways, he did not apologize to the professor he almost ran over and only paused momentarily to catch his breath before hitting the buzzer to Pike's office.

"Come."

The door opened and Kirk politely stepped in. Admiral Pike was waiting patiently behind his desk with his hands folded neatly in front of him. Kirk stood at attention.

"At ease, Captain."

A small smirk crept along his face when he heard the word "captain." It never got old. Pike noticed it and shook his head fondly.

"I can't believe it either. I thought for sure I'd get to order you around as a lieutenant for a good eight years yet."

"Told ya I'd do better." he said as cheekily as possible.

Grinning, Pike reached across his desk and grabbed a PADD. Kirk had to school his expression into one of pure neutrality. He knew that piece of electronic equipment held his fate in its files. The anticipation was consuming him. Pike browsed through the PADD at a languid pace, pausing every now and again to read something over. Kirk began twitching.

"You look a little anxious, Kirk." Pike asked with a questioning glance.

"Seriously? Are you really doing this to me?"

Taking pity on the squirming young man, Pike set the PADD down and smiled, genuinely happy for Kirk.

"James T. Kirk, you are now officially the captain of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Kirk asked dumbfounded.

"You heard me exactly, Captain." Pike grinned.

Kirk stood slack-jawed as he stared at Pike. It was unbelievable. He had been hoping against all odds to be the captain of that vessel, but reminded himself he was not only a rookie captain way before his years, there would be other long standing captains in line for it. But somehow, some way, the impossible once again happened. There really might be some truth to the whole "timeline correcting itself" scenario.

"_I'm_ the captain of the _Enterprise_? How the hell did that happen?!" he asked cheerfully as possible.

Pike leaned back in his chair and appeared awfully smug.

"There were people pulling some strings."

"Meaning you?" Kirk asked with an expectant look.

"I might have made a few…forceful requests." Pike crossed his arms in self-satisfaction. "I apparently have a lot more clout than I thought I did. Then again, I think it helped that Spock got involved."

Upon hearing about Spock, Kirk immediately became alert. Never once during his talks with him did Spock ever mention anything about getting the _Enterprise_ under his command.

"Wait. Spock put in a good word for me?"

"A good word and then some. There isn't a person here who doesn't listen to him."

There was a distant look to Pike's eyes as he recalled some of the more colorful events. Kirk wished he had found a way to eavesdrop on those conversations.

"Starfleet command was especially willing to listen given the circumstances of Vulcan. Not to mention his father is the ambassador to Earth and the service Spock did for the Federation." he paused a moment then continued. "Plus that was the first time Spock requested anything."

"So basically I should thank Spock for getting me the newest and best ship of Starfleet?" Kirk asked with a smirk.

"Basically. He'll probably deny having done much. But you should have seen him at a council meeting. I've never seen a person tell somebody to live long and prosper and make it sound like 'screw you all.'" Pike could not stop a grin at the memory.

Kirk had no doubt that Spock would be able to pull that off. He was beginning to think his original concept of sassy Spock was true. Now he definitely needed Spock to be his second in command.

"He's got a talent for that sort of thing, doesn't he?"

Pike nodded his head.

"Yes he does. It's a shame he isn't staying in Starfleet. He's a hell of an asset."

"Don't worry. He's staying. He's going to be my first officer." Kirk said confidently.

"Oh really? You convinced him?" Pike asked surprised.

"Not yet. But he will. I know it."

There was no trace of doubt in his stance. Pike was amazed Kirk's ability to never give up. However, after having Spock serve under him for several years, he was not so sure Kirk would be able sway him from his current decision. It was a classic example of an unstoppable force meeting an immoveable object.

"Well, let me know how that goes for you." Pike said with a little more doubt. "I'm still trying to convince him. Hell, even the wife is going to give it a try."

"Seriously?"

"She's going to be giving it a go at tonight's party. If anybody can logically convince Spock to stay with Starfleet, it's her."

Kirk thought about it for a while and had to agree. Ilyrians were infamous for their single-minded concentration on perfection. When it came to logic and intellect, they could rival the Vulcans. It turned out that the brightest Ilyrian of their generation was once a Starfleet officer, wife to Christopher Pike, and the closest thing to a friend Spock had. From what Kirk had heard, people can apparently bond over logic.

"Yeah well, tell me how that one goes for you." Kirk turned the words around. "Hey, Pike? Do you think Spock wants to stay in Starfleet?"

Pike did not hesitate.

"Yes. He loves space and science. No better place to do that than in Starfleet as a science officer." he nodded his head once as he gathered his thoughts. "But he's stubborn and dutiful. And Vulcan needs all the Vulcans they can get, even half Vulcans."

Sighing aloud, Kirk knew Pike was right. Even though the older Spock told him to trust the younger Spock, he was not so sure. The clash between the excitement over gaining captaincy of the _Enterprise_ and the frustration at lack of a certain Vulcan first officer was causing Kirk to become agitated. Pike noticed his agitation.

"Listen, Kirk. I've managed to postpone declaring the first officer up until the day you leave. If he isn't onboard before you leave, then you'll have to have a second choice on hand. Got it?"

Hearing this caused Kirk to brighten up immediately. He was practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Thanks _Admiral_."

Pike rolled his eyes at the way Kirk emphasized his new title.

"Go on. Get out of here and get some rest before tonight."

"Oh that's right. Tonight's ceremony and party celebrating my captaincy of the _Enterprise_!" said Kirk with mock ignorance.

"Cheeky bastard. You're dismissed."

Making an overly dramatic salute, Kirk grinned as he marched out of the office. Standing eagerly outside was McCoy, Sulu, and Chekov. All three had found the time to support their friend and one time captain. Before the door closed behind him, they could see Pike shaking his head in amusement.

"So, what'd he say, Jim?" McCoy pressed animatedly.

Kirk tried to suppress his grin, but failed miserably at it. He spread his arms out wide and declared,

"Boys, you're looking at the new captain of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_!"

* * *

**A/N:** A bit slow on this chapter. Had a bit of rearranging to do to make it all work. Not the greatest chapter I've ever wrote. That said, I had to break this chapter into two parts due to length. So I lied. One more chapter to end this little prequel and the main story will begin. I'll let you know if I lie again next chapter. Hopefully I won't have to lie anymore. So now I pose a question to you: Who wants this to be K/S and who wants it to be K&S. Either way, there's man-bonding. Just whether or not man-bonding reaches the bed is up to the readers. Let me know what you think over the course of the next chapters. Hope you enjoyed. Leave me your thoughts.

Trouble with Tribbles: They're crazy delicious.  
~Tofu


	4. Inevitable Change

The evening ceremony was both a joyous occasion and a solemn one. Honors were celebrated by those alive, and those still alive mourned all the lives that had been lost. Not only did many Starfleet personnel die, but majority of the graduating cadets. There had been some survivors; however, the loss was still noticeable.

After the mass funeral ended, everybody's spirits were lifted during the graduation ceremony. The most notable honor was one, James Tiberius Kirk. While news of his captaincy was well-known, the evening's ceremony revealed his captaincy of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_. Majority of the instructors were proud to have put up with him for those three long years and some could only shake their heads in disbelief.

The reception hall was packed with officers, cadets, family, and friends. Kirk's mother, Winona, was currently squeezing the life out of her son and murmuring how proud she was. Sam helped pry away his younger brother only to embrace him in the same manner.

"I can't believe it. My baby brother Jimmy is a captain now! What the hell are these people on?"

Kirk slipped free of his grip and punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Nothing. You sat there and listened to them. I'm an asset to Starfleet!" Kirk preened.

Same rolled his eyes, but remained grinning. His grin faltered a bit when their stepfather stepped forward. There had always been friction between all of them, but over time, it no longer resulted in a yelling match. It usually resulted in tense and awkward silences.

"I know we haven't been friends…or even gotten along…" Frank trailed off and shifted his weight. "But regardless of all our fights, I'm proud of you…and for you."

It was awkward and jerky, but Frank thrust out his hand. Sam and Winona held their breath. Kirk looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before grasping it firmly.

"Thanks. Maybe we can both start over." Kirk said calmly.

The relief was visible. It would not be immediate nor smooth, but the determined open hostility between Frank and Kirk was resolved. Sam was proud of how his brother had changed over the past three years.

"So this is where you've been hiding."

Doctor Leonard McCoy seemed to pop up out of nowhere. With a glass of booze in one hand, he shook all of the Kirk's hands, even Frank. He had heard stories from Kirk about the infamous stepfather. McCoy had seen him and Kirk shake hands so he guessed he would not have to break up any fights.

"Leonard! It's good to see you again." Winona greeted cheerily.

"Ma'am." he said as he accepted her hug. After surviving his own hug of suffocation, McCoy shook Sam's hand." Good to see you too, Sam."

"Glad to see you're still keeping my brother alive."

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't even gone into space yet!"

Kirk rolled his eyes while Sam and McCoy shared stories about all the stupid stunts he had ever pulled and how he was lucky they had been there. When the two met on rare occasions, it became their favorite past time, especially because they knew it annoyed Kirk. But in the long run, he had also been glad one of them had been there whenever his curiosity and/or rebellion got him into situations. While he listened to his family tell tales, and smiling in fond remembrance for most of them, he caught sight of Spock generally keeping to himself near the exit of the hall.

Seeing as he was not needed for anything, Kirk decided it was as good a time as any to renew his pestering. He wondered if Pike's wife had spoken to him yet. Kirk slowly made his way towards him, politely accepting congratulations and paused when he was a short distance away. Appearing from somewhere, Chekov managed to greet Spock first. He was going to join them, but something in the way Chekov was standing told Kirk to hang back and just listen.

"Commander Spock." Chekov greeted with the utmost propriety.

Spock bowed his head slightly.

"Ensign Chekov."

A heavy silence settled between the two, affecting mainly Chekov. Spock watch mildly curious as Chekov suddenly began to shift his weight nervously. He arched an eyebrow when Chekov straightened and stood resolutely.

"I am sorry." he declared fairly loud in his nervousness.

It took a few moments on Spock's part to determine what the ensign was apologizing for. Realization dawned on him and he softly shook his head.

"There is no logical reason for you to apologize, Ensign." Spock replied gently. "Were it not for you, many more would have died. You performed admirably in a situation that was not required of you. I expect you to continue to exceed expectations."

Understanding the human need to reinforce a statement with physical contact, Spock extended his hand. Chekov stared wide-eyed at the hand for the briefest of moments before accepting the handshake. He shook vigorously and stood at attention.

"Thank you, Commander! When we begin our travels, you will see. I will continue to exceed expectations. By your leave."

Kirk stifled a laugh when Chekov did not even wait for a response before taking off with renewed energy. Spock watched him leave with a curious tilt of the head.

"Captain, forgive me if I am incorrect, but is it not impolite to eavesdrop?"

Quickly grabbing a champagne glass off a passing tray and looking as casual as possible, Kirk strolled up.

"What are you talking about? I don't eavesdrop. It's not captainly."

"You do many things 'not captainly,' Captain." Spock retorted.

Holding his hands up in surrender, Kirk took a big gulp of the champagne and smiled.

"Okay. You caught me. But it wasn't like I was trying to." he defended.

"Indeed. I would hope you would be more silent should you ever do so intentionally. Lieutenant Uhura is correct about your breathing."

Kirk scratched his head.

"How the hell do you people hear me? You know what? Don't tell me." Kirk interrupted when he saw Spock open his mouth to explain. Instead, he grinned and changed topics. "So, it looks like Chekov expects to be seeing you…in Starfleet…on my ship."

"So it would seem…" Spock trailed off.

There was less conviction in his voice than he usually did when talking about anything. Kirk latched on to it.

"You're considering it, aren't you!" he stated more than asked.

"The option has been a part of my considerations from the beginning."

"But now you think it might be a possibility." pressed Kirk.

Silence was his answer and Kirk knew he was right. What caused the sudden change in attitude, Kirk did not know. All he cared about was that Spock was one-step closer to becoming his first officer.

"Better face it, Spock. You're going to be my first officer, and again, I'm not the only one." Kirk vaguely motioned to where Chekov disappeared to. "I'd hate to see Chekov cry if you don't show up."

"I highly doubt Mister Chekov would experience sufficient amounts of grief to the point of a physiological reaction were I to decline your offer." Spock dryly noted.

"Okay, maybe you're right." Kirk conceded, amused at how seriously Spock took his words. "But I know for a fact Bones would cry."

As he hoped, Spock cocked an eyebrow and stared at Kirk suspiciously.

"You are, once again, making a joke." Spock tilted his head ever so slightly. "Doctor McCoy would, instead, undoubtedly cry with joy at my absence since he is emotional enough to experience such a contradiction of emotions."

Kirk spit out the gulp of champagne he had in his mouth and spluttered out laughing. Spock was quick enough to avoid the spewing champagne and calmly handed Kirk a napkin from a nearby table. Too fixated on his mirth and stinging sensation of champagne going up his nose, Kirk did not notice when McCoy walked up.

"What's your problem?" he asked gruffly.

"I got champagne up my nose." Kirk explained.

McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Of course you did. What else do you do with champagne but snort it?"

Kirk blew his nose into the napkin, but managed to point at Spock.

"It's his fault. He made me laugh."

"…Alright. Enough snorting champagne." McCoy grabbed the empty glass from Kirk and handed it off to a passing waiter. "Next you'll tell me Spock has a great sense of humor."

Kirk looked at Spock, then McCoy, before stating in a matter of fact way.

"But he sort of does. It's a little off, but it's there."

Both Spock and McCoy regarded Kirk with a raised eyebrow.

"You sure champagne was the only thing you snorted tonight?" McCoy asked dubiously.

"I am uncertain, Doctor. Captain Kirk just came over here to tell me how you were prone to tears when I am absent." Spock calmly explained.

Kirk pointed at Spock and shook his head when McCoy considered him with an un-amused expression.

"I didn't say that! Spock!" Kirk whined.

"Is that so? Well, if you will excuse me. Gentlemen."

Spock bowed lightly and took his leave. Kirk and McCoy watched him traverse the crowds and walk towards a proper and imposing woman.

"I'm prone to tears over his absence? What the hell did I miss?" McCoy asked genuinely confused.

"You just missed Spock completely, and deliberately I might add, misinterpret what I said." Kirk answered vaguely amused.

They stood in silence as they watched Spock engage the woman in conversation. He stood tall and straight, but there was something more relaxed and comfortable about him that was not present with others.

"Hey, isn't that Pike's wife?"

Kirk nodded his head at McCoy's question.

"Yeah. Number One, also name Eunice Robbins to people who know her well."

"Didn't you try flirting with her once?" McCoy looked at Kirk out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah." Kirk grinned at the memory. "I've never been shot down that fast, that coldly before."

"She still tells me about that time, you know."

Both Kirk and McCoy were surprised when Pike came up beside them.

"Admiral, how are you doing tonight?"

"Very well, thank, Doctor McCoy." Pike answered with a small smile.

He looked over to where they were staring. By now, Spock and Number One were making their way to the outdoor veranda where it was much more silent.

"Huh, aren't they a cozy pair." McCoy wryly commented.

"Think she'll get him to stay?" asked Kirk hopefully. "It's weird, he already seemed to be less sure than he was earlier today."

"Really now? I wonder what happened." Pike mused.

Kirk actually had a feeling what happened, and it involved an elderly Vulcan ambassador. He remembered what Ambassador Spock told him; to trust Spock. Originally, Kirk had assumed the ambassador was not going to get involved. But then, he was supposed to trust Spock, and the ambassador was also Spock. He supposed he would trust both of them. With any luck, the ambassador would accomplish it without causing the universe to implode.

And as always, Kirk's feeling was right. Spock had spoken with his elderly counterpart earlier. The conversation had left him conflicted and frustrated. He understood his duty to his people and history to Starfleet. While originally joining Starfleet was an act of rebellion of sorts, he had grown to respect the institution and even admire some of the humans. Plus, his opportunity to explore first hand and learn new things was unmatched in Starfleet. More than anything, Spock wanted to stay with Starfleet and join Kirk in what would surely be a new experience. But his people, they needed every Vulcan, even half-Vulcans. True, his counterpart was available, but years of training and upbringing could not so easily tossed to the side. Besides, he was concerned for his father. The loss of a bonded was hard on any Vulcan, and his father was not young. If not his people, then his only remaining family deserved his loyalty and service.

"Have you spoken with your father about this?" Number One asked.

"No. This must be my decision." Spock answered distractedly.

"There is nothing illogical about asking for advice or an opinion…especially from one's parent." she countered softly.

Spock remained silent as he processed her words. It was logical, but it was also logical to fear his father's opinion. Even though Sarek admitted having feelings, love and gratefulness, Spock was afraid he would disapprove. He did not believe he would be able to go against him, not now.

"Spock, look at me." Number One commanded gently.

Turning his attention from inward to outward, Spock slowly brought his gaze up and looked steadily in her blue eyes. Her perceptive gaze searched Spock's. It did not require her to look very hard to find sadness, uncertainty, and even hope. Eunice Robbins always did find Spock to be one of the most expressive Vulcans she had ever met. It filled her with joy and broke her heart that he was now seeking her guidance and advice.

Years ago, she would have come up with some logical argument over-analyzing the situation and maintain a distance. Now, after years of loving her husband and learning how Spock was just like her, Eunice approached the whole thing differently. Smiling and moving gently, Eunice pulled Spock into a comforting embrace.

Spock did not fall back or even hesitate. He leaned into her embrace and allowed himself a moment to feel. His forehead rested on her shoulder while his arms wrapped around her back. Through the contact, Spock could feel her controlled, but open-ended acceptance. It was peaceful and more satisfying than any other sentiment.

"I will be proud of you, no matter what you choose."

Eunice's words mirrored the words his mother years ago when he rejected his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy. It had been a source of considerable tension between him and his father, but after a long and logical discussion, they had come to tentative understanding. His mother literally locked them in a room together and forbade them to leave until they had at least talked it out. Amanda was very smug as she served them dinner that night. Spock supposed that he was grateful for his mother's stubborn insistence. Because of her, Spock and Sarek remained on speaking terms. His heart pounded in his chest and his stomach churned. He tightened his grip fractionally.

"If choose to do what…feels right, how do I know it is the right choice?" Spock asked into her shoulder.

"You don't. That's why we say, 'feels right.' We can only act and then deal with the consequences."

She gave him a light squeeze and they slowly separated. Spock's expression was neutral, but Eunice could tell he was still uncertain, but much calmer. They resumed their formal dispositions.

"Hm, it would seem like we have an audience."

Spock looked over to where Number One motioned. Standing awkwardly and pretending like they had not been spying was Kirk, Pike, and McCoy. They were talking animatedly with each other and generally failing at subtly.

"Captain Kirk is most persistent that I remain and serve aboard the _Enterprise_. He is, I believe the term he used was, 'banking on your efforts.'" Spock explained.

Nodding her head in understanding, Number One smiled.

"Interesting. Christopher told me the same thing." she crossed her arms. "It would seem a lot of people are 'banking' on you remaining in Starfleet."

"…Indeed…If you will excuse me."

Number One watched Spock walk back inside and weave in between the crowds. He moved swiftly and quietly until he was able to appear behind the three men still trying to feign disinterest.

"While I understand the doctor's lack of skill in subtly, one would assume Captain Kirk and Admiral Pike would be above spying."

"It's not spying. We don't know what you were saying." Kirk defended.

"Your powers of debate leave something to be desired." Spock retorted.

"More importantly, how the hell does he keep insulting me without outright insulting me?" demanded McCoy.

"And how are you able to be that loud? I can hear you from across the hall."

All heads turned towards the speaker. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura stood with her arms crossed and a small smirk. Kirk slid over to her and draped an arm over her shoulder.

"Uhura, how are you enjoying the party celebrating my captaincy of the _Enterprise_? Have you been putting that talented tongue to use tonight?"

She rolled her eyes at the playfully smug tone of his voice and the way he waggled his eyebrows at Spock, who just stared at him blankly. Shrugging his arm off her shoulder, Uhura poked him in the chest.

"Oh, it's a great time. But you know, I thought you'd be out with some farm animals."

"Well, you know, these city animals aren't high class like the ones back in Iowa." Kirk retorted.

"Good god, man. You snort champagne _and_ hit up farm animals?" McCoy asked horrified.

Shaking his head, Pike leaned back in his wheelchair and smiled. The times had been changing and giving a twenty-five year old a captain's position on the flagship of Starfleet was as good an indication as any. And after watching these people interact and carry themselves in a professional environment, the admiralty was going to be doing a lot of work in the near future. He looked over at Spock who was studying the interactions with a critical eye and he sincerely hoped the Vulcan would remain in Starfleet. Of course, there might be a few more instances of strangulation before he and Kirk could function as an effective pair, but he had a gut instinct telling him the _Enterprise_ and Federation were in good hands.

"I swear. I never had sex with an animal before. Seriously, Spock, I haven't, so you can stop looking at me like that."

"I have no idea what you are speaking about, Captain."

"Bullshit."

Yes, the galaxy was definitely in good hands. The reception, well, that could go many different ways with this crowd, but this was their night; Starfleet needed the positive atmosphere.

"Fine. You wanna be that way? Get me a pig up here right now with some peanut butter and popcorn and I'll prove it to you." Kirk challenged.

Pike furrowed his brows. He really needed to pay better attention to their conversations. Clearly, he missed something.

"Okay, before this conversation goes somewhere that's going to inevitably offend me, I'll take my leave." Pike backed his wheelchair up. "And I swear to whatever deity you pray to I better not find a pig here."

He gave a pointed glare to all of them before going off to find his wife. Everyone save for Spock grinned. He was still trying to figure out how the conversation resulted into teaching pigs skateboarding with peanut butter and popcorn.

"Hey, I've seen like, everybody today expect for Scotty. Where is the crazy bastard?" asked Kirk as he scanned the crowds.

"I believe Mr. Scott was concerned about the _Enterprise_ and is currently overseeing the repairs." Spock answered promptly. "I received a call earlier today from a group of technicians claiming Mr. Scott was harassing them."

Kirk could easily imagine the Scotsman constantly over the technicians' shoulders and complaining that they were not treating her right.

"What did you do?"

"Mr. Scott is a lieutenant commander of Starfleet, not a cadet. As such, I have no technical authority over him as he is not under my command." explained Spock.

"Sooo, you did nothing." Kirk translated with a grin.

"Essentially."

This caused the others to start laughing. Kirk had a feeling he was going to get an earful later when he took control of the _Enterprise_. It would be worth it though; he wanted nobody else to be his chief engineer.

"Hey, Spock."

"Yes, Captain?"

"You free tomorrow? I need to get started assigning posts and I have no clue how anything works." Kirk admitted sheepishly.

Spock nodded his head.

"If you are asking for my assistance, then yes, I am free tomorrow."

Kirk slapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly.

"Great. There are a lot of positions to fill so that means all of you better be super nice to me."

He made a point to linger his gaze on Uhura who rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"And you better remember my talented tongue." she ordered more than stated with a small smile.

"And you better remember how I keep you alive through all your stupidity." McCoy slapped Kirk on the shoulder.

"It would appear the others have more input than you do, Captain." Spock pointed out dryly.

Kirk rolled his head in feigned annoyance before staring up at McCoy.

"See? How can you say he doesn't have a sense of humor? He's just a sadist with his."

Spock cocked an eyebrow while Uhura grinned. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm going to get out of here. Are you going to stay much longer?"

"Yes. There are several others I wish to speak to before the night is through. Have a good evening Lieutenant Uhura."

She gave a small smile and nodded.

"Okay. You too, Commander."

She hesitated a bit before she said goodbye to the others and making her way through the dwindling crowds. McCoy watched her leave and then glanced over at Spock.

"I think that was your cue to go with her." he suggested.

"If she desired my company, would it not be logical to state as such?" Spock asked.

McCoy looked over at Kirk, asking silently for help in explaining.

"Well, you would think, but see, girls use girl logic, which is different from regular logic." Kirk explained.

"Logic is logic. There are no subcategories." Spock interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, sort of…Okay, not getting into psychology and shit, we'll leave it at, girls often say one thing, but mean the complete opposite."

Spock just stared at him. Kirk could practically hear the gears grinding away in his head and ultimately breaking down.

"That is…illogical." he settled on.

"No kidding." McCoy growled as he took a large swig of his drink.

"Yeah, well, point is, she wanted you to go with her." Kirk pointed out. "But then again, after dating you, I would have thought she'd know something like that would go over your head."

"Indeed." Spock said absent-mindedly. "If you will excuse me, Gentlemen."

He did not wait for either man to acknowledge before marching off. Kirk and McCoy watched him leave with a shared amused glance.

"I really want that guy to stay. It's going to be damn fascinating watching him, Uhura, and their mismatched relationship." said McCoy.

"I hope it works out though. They're kind of a cute couple…in a weird sort of way." Kirk admitted.

McCoy shot him a mildly surprised glare.

"Turning into a romantic, are we?"

"Turning into a bitter old man? Oh wait, you already are." Kirk shot back.

Shaking his head in disbelief and amusement, the doctor finished off his glass with one final gulp.

"I do not have a high enough blood alcohol content to be witty." he said sarcastically. "Alright. I glad handled enough tonight. This old man is turning in for the night. I suggest you do the same. Knowing Spock, he's expecting you early."

He patted Kirk on the shoulder a few times before tossing his glass at a passing waitress and leaving the hall. Kirk looked around for the others. Sulu, Chekov, and Cupcake were loitering in the corner while Spock was talking with Pike and Number One. His family was chatting with Admiral Barnett. Hopefully the admiral had something good to say about him and hopefully, his mother was not telling him embarrassing stories. Deciding that the chances of embarrassing stories were fairly high, Kirk trotted over to his mother and attempted to salvage any damage to his ego and reputation.

And so the night wore on, people continually congratulating him and many others trying to get him to remember their names. Kirk figured they wanted on the _Enterprise_. He did not blame them. His ship was going to be awesome.

Of course, that was what he had in mind that night. When morning came, however, things were not looking so awesome. There were over one thousand positions to be filled on the ship and Kirk did not know where to begin. He just scrolled through the long list of positions despondently. At least he was consoled with the fact that Spock was also involved.

"Captain, it would be better served if you tell me names rather than re-read the list of positions for the twelfth time." Spock interrupted his dreary thoughts.

"Right. You tell me a position that needs to be filled and I'll toss you a name?" Kirk suggested.

"Very well. Chief Security Officer."

"Cupcake. We don't get along, but that overbearing hulk is totally what our ship of awesome needs."

Spock set the PADD down and stared at Kirk questioningly.

"Cupcake? I am unaware of any individual by the name of Cupcake."

Kirk made an "ooh" noise. He had no idea what Cupcake's name was. He was always Cupcake and probably always would be.

"I…don't know his actual name." admitted Kirk.

Suppressing a sigh, Spock pulled up the files of the entire roster of Security personnel. The list was long.

"Oh wait. You probably remember him. He was the guy who arrested me and Scotty when we beamed aboard! Big guy, scruffy goatee?" Kirk attempted to describe him.

"I believe you are referring to Lieutenant Commander Giotto."

Spock pulled up the image of Giotto and showed it to Kirk who eagerly nodded.

"Yeah, that's the guy."

Spock nodded his head and filed the name. Kirk reclined back in his chair.

"Congratulations, Captain. You have filled one position. There are one thousand, ninety-nine others." Spock noted dryly.

A dull thud echoed in the empty office as his forehead met the desk. Kirk mumbled into the wooden desk.

"How long is this going to take?"

"If you can manage to name chiefs of departments, they will see to the rest." Spock explained.

Kirk's head jerked up as he glared at Spock.

"What the hell? You just let me think I had to fill over a thousand positions for shits and giggles?"

Spock regarded him with a calm and blank stare.

"That is obviously untrue as I am neither defecating nor giggling."

Shaking his head ruefully and smiling, Kirk crossed his arms.

"You really do have a wicked sense of humor."

"I assure you, I do not know what you are referring to since Vulcans do not have a sense of humor." Spock immediately responded.

It was hard for Kirk to determine if Spock was being serious or not at this point, but he would like to think Spock was comfortable enough with him to joke around. At least, he hoped it was joking. He decided he would have to re-examine his entire life if Spock had been serious every time. Kirk doubted it though. Spock was smart and observant enough, even if he missed most of the jokes thrown his way.

"Huh, you better mark that down as a character reference, Spock." Kirk said with an amused smirk.

"If you are interested in character references for each position, I will provide them for you." Spock answered.

Kirk vigorously shook his head. They both knew that he could and he would.

"That's okay. I trust you'll stop me from assigning anybody unfit for the job."

"Affirmative. Shall we continue?" pressed Spock.

Kirk nodded his head. They continued to throw around names for each position, debating on a few of them, but eventually creating a roster of the department heads.

"Of course Bones is going to be CMO and Scotty is the Chief Engineer."

"Mr. Scott is an excellent engineer with the needed experience and Doctor McCoy has proven to be a capable medical officer." agreed Spock.

"And then I want Sulu as pilot. He did some pretty skillful stunts…Oh, and Russian whiz kid is the navigator." Kirk continued. "Uhura is definitely one of the best linguists around, plus she'll probably kick my ass if I don't put her somewhere on the _Enterprise_."

"Indeed. She is a skilled and confident individual." Spock said as he recalled the events leading to her appointment to the _Enterprise_ during the Nero incident. She proved before, then and again that she had the skills deserving their use on the flagship of the Federation.

"And of course, that leaves one last place. I'm missing a science and first officer." Kirk implied not so subtly. He stared expectantly at Spock who actually sighed audibly. It was soft and Kirk would have missed it were he not currently leaning forward on the desk.

"Who are you considering?" Spock asked.

"You." Kirk answered with a tone that suggested he just answered a stupid question.

Spock resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I have not agreed to remain in Starfleet thus I encourage you to fill the spot now."

"Nope. You're going to be there. I just know it, Spock." Kirk pressed.

Spock remained silent. Sleep continued to elude him and the words of his counterpart continued to echo in his mind. He surmised that the ambassador convinced Kirk they were meant to become some sort of great team. Spock squashed a brief surge of envy at Kirk's and Ambassador Spock's confidence in each other, themselves, and in him.

"So you continue to claim." argued Spock.

"It's not a claim. It's a matter of fact."

It was impossible to move Kirk from this position. They both knew it and also both knew Kirk had the advantage now. Spock had shown his hesitation and that was all Kirk needed. He was nothing if not resourceful and blunt as a boulder. While every other major decision and change in Spock's life had occurred slowly and without his knowledge, that was not the case now.

"Well then, I guess that means we're done here." Kirk said as he stood up. He walked towards the door to the office and called over his shoulder, "I'll see you on the _Enterprise_!"

Since he had no answer, Spock remained silent and stared intently at Kirk's retreating form. When the door shut and he was left alone, Spock closed his eyes and leaned on his desk.

_The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become_.

Spock knew who he was. He had dealt with that issue his whole life. What he could not imagine was what he could or would become if he went against everything logic was telling him to do. Ambassador Spock told him that he and Kirk would develop a relationship defining them both, but there was a difference between something that would happen and what could happen. His timeline was already drastically altered from his counterpart's and who was to say that he and James Kirk could be nothing more than acquaintances? The possibilities were endless and so many things could occur. The variables were not defined and completely unknown. Spock did not know if he was able to sacrifice who he was. There were already so many things lost already.

Though those words had been spoken years ago, he was reminded of them by his father. He had spoken to Sarek last night and expressed his doubts and concerns. All Sarek told him was that old Terran quote.

Checking his schedule for the rest of the day, Spock found there was nothing left for him to do. Never one to stay idle, Spock gathered his belongings and determined his time would be best served meditating.

By the time he had reached a state of peace through meditation, the days had passed and it was the day for the _Enterprise_ to begin its first five year mission. Spock, in an unusual display of tardiness, was on the last shuttle to the space dock and the last person to arrive at the bridge.

Stepping off the turbolift, Spock glanced around the bridge. The others were already in position at their stations and staring with admiration. Kirk walked over to him with a small smile.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain." Spock asked crisply.

"Permission granted, Mr. Spock." Kirk said while suppressing the growing grin building up inside.

"As you have yet to select a first officer, I would respectfully like to submit my candidacy. Should you desire, I can provide character references."

One of Spock's eyebrows rose prominently while Kirk used all his self-control to keep from laughing. However, his eyes reflected his mirth and distinct pleasure.

"It would be my honor, Commander."

Every officer on the bridge smiled. Spock calmly ignored the attention and sat straight and formal at the science station. He briefly glanced out of the side of his eye and nodded almost imperceptibly at Uhura who smiled in joy and relief.

"Sulu, maneuvering thrusters. Take us out." Kirk commanded.

"Aye, Captain!" Sulu responded with enthusiasm matching the others.

_I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better._

As the _U.S.S. Enterprise_ pulled away from the dock and jumped into warp drive, Spock had to agree with his father's parting words. He turned in his chair slightly to look over at Kirk. The captain lounged confidently in the command chair with a bright grin and mischievous glint in his eyes. Swiveling his command chair ever so slightly, Kirk matched Spock's gaze with a smug grin. No further words needed to be spoken.

* * *

**A/N:** It's been a little longer between updates. This chapter was difficult to write and sort of all over the place. Should classes not get completely in my way, again, updates should be a little faster now that this prequel of sorts will become some plotty action thing. Speaking of which, I'm lazy and don't know if I want to set up a new story to continue with the main part or just keep it going with this one. This is more What works best for everybody here though? It's late and I'm tired. I can't think for myself right now. Dear readers, be my brain. Continue on here, or continue with a new title? Your opinions and insight with the whole K/S vs. K&S thing have helped tremendously. So I thank you for that and bother you again with this. But, enough of this, I mainly hope you enjoyed the story and thank you for reading. Send me your reviews and thoughts. I will hoard them like a chipmunk on speed. Btw, the first italicized quote is from Charles Du Bos and the second one is from Georg C. Lichtenberg.

Fuzzy legumes are not your friends,  
~Tofu


	5. 99 Bottles

**EDIT:** FAIL. I FAIL. I have no skills and deleted the chapter. Here it is again.

* * *

When they beamed down to the planet over twelve hours ago, the landing party, consisting of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and a security detail, thought it would be simple. Initial scans showed no life forms and upon looking around, they all seemed to agree. There was some flora scattered about, but generally, the entire landscape was dominated by yellow rocks and craggy mountains.

In the distance, Kirk spotted something resembling an obelisk. It was not as refined as many of the ones the landing party had seen before, but it still indicated some sort of intelligent design. Whether or not that intelligent life was still around, nobody knew. Regardless though, it merited further examination more because Kirk was not eager to examine more chartreuse rocks. The color hurt his eyes after a while.

The small group traversed the dusty malpai, Spock pausing ever so often to scan a particularly interesting rock from one of the canyon walls, until they approached the obelisk. It was yellow, much like the surrounding rock, but much more faded and worn by the harsh desert winds. Kirk watched his first officer shift all his attention from the rock to the obelisk. Immediately, with tricorder in hand, Spock began eagerly scanning the monument. Kirk really did not know what was so interesting about the barren planet.

"More yellow rocks…why is it so damn yellow here?" Kirk asked.

Spock was prepared to explain the composition of the rock, but was interrupted by a large tremor. In the process of scanning, McCoy was unprepared for the shockwave and stumbled onto his rear side. A security officer helped him to his feet while looking around nervously. Small rocks broke off from the nearby cliff faces and seemed to imply that more rocks, and larger ones at that, were on their way.

"We need to get out of here before another shockwave-"

Before the security officer could finish her suggestion, another tremor coursed through the ground. Whipping out his communicator, Kirk hailed the _Enterprise_.

"Scotty, we need out of here now!"

Instead of hearing the chief engineer's voice, there was a wash of static. Kirk frowned and tried to hail the ship again. This time, he got a garbled response.

"Captain…seismic…transporter…signal lost…"

"Dammit, Scotty! Scotty, can you hear me?!" he continued to yell into the communicator.

"It would appear something is interfering with communications."

McCoy shot Spock an annoyed glare.

"No shit, Sherlock. What are we going to do?" the doctor growled.

"I believe we should reach open ground as soon as possible. The amount of debris from the cliffs is increasing."

Despite the higher frequency of seismic activity, Spock remained frustratingly neutral through the whole ordeal. Kirk wondered if he really was that calm or just hiding it really well. Whatever the case, he knew he had to keep it together since he was the captain. He quickly surveyed the surrounding area and decided the route they came from was the best bet.

"Backtrack people!" Kirk made sure the others were on the move before bringing up the rear. "Ooh, serpentine motion! Serpentine motion!"

Even though they were running and dodging falling yellow rocks, Kirk still found a way to not be serious. McCoy rolled his eyes, but still went with it while Spock just arched a single eyebrow. He had no idea why that would be funny or even helpful considering the fact that their route was narrow and most definitely did not allow for any serpentine motion.

So far, nobody managed to get squished by a yellow rock, which Kirk was happy for since that would have been one way to die he did not want to be known for. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep moving forward, especially when the tremors continued to keep them off balance.

When they were approaching the end of the canyon, the landing party thought they would be in the clear. But, when something started to go wrong, it continued to go wrong. One of the security officers, the young woman who had helped McCoy, tripped and fell during a particularly rough shockwave. She let out a small yelp as she fell. Looking over his shoulder, Kirk used his momentum to pivot on his heel and backtrack to the fallen officer. Seeing the captain run past him in the opposite direction confused Spock, who in turn, went after his captain. He could vaguely hear McCoy yelling some obscenity as he too went to Kirk and the security officer.

She ran with a slight limp and was trying her best to keep up, but the shifting ground made it near impossible for her to move at a reasonable pace.

"Captain, just leave, I'll follow behind. I-"

Kirk quickly cut her off.

"Shut up and keep moving. I'm not leaving anybody."

He examined her out of the corner of his eyes and contemplated the possibility of carrying her. Unfortunately, he did not think it would change much. She was a little shorter than he was but with a build many a man would be envious of. He could see why she was in security. In the end, he did not have to worry though.

"Excuse me."

Spock still managed to be polite in the middle of a life and death situation as he hefted the officer over his shoulder with perfect ease.

"It would be prudent to increase our pace."

Nodding his head once in agreement, they picked up their pace. In the distance, Kirk and Spock could make out the forms of the other security guards waiting impatiently outside the mouth of the canyon. McCoy was standing a little further in making a frantic waving motion.

"Hurry your asses up now!" he shouted.

Barely avoiding a falling chunk of rock, Kirk dodged to the side and stumbled, but kept moving forward. Right as they approached the end, the largest tremor by far, knocked a set of boulders off the top of the cliff. Eyes widening, McCoy acted on instinct and dove out of the way. Also responding on instinct, Spock more or less threw the security officer the rest of the distance before the boulders completely blocked the exit.

"Captain! Commander Spock! Doctor!"

Kirk was aware that the security personnel on the other side of the rockslide were yelling for them, he could not respond right away as the air was permeated by a thick yellow dust. He heard coughing to his side and waved his hand in front of his face in a vain attempt to see.

"Bones?! Spock!" he was able to rasp out.

"Jim, you okay?" the doctor's voice echoed from somewhere.

"Yeah. You?"

"Peachy. Just peachy."

The irritable tone was evident in McCoy's voice and Kirk knew his best friend was perfectly fine.

"I do not understand why you two are yelling so loudly. You are standing less than four feet apart." a subdued, calm voice interrupted their conversation.

The dust finally began to settle and Kirk was able to see that he was indeed standing very close to the doctor. The two gazed at each other with a relieved grin.

"Huh…maybe that crash affected my hearing?" Kirk asked. He figured either McCoy or Spock would know the answer.

"Yeah, my ears are ringing too. How about you, Spock?" McCoy asked as he rubbed his ear.

"My hearing is in optimal condition." Spock immediately answered.

Kirk looked to his other side to see unflappable first officer watching him and McCoy curiously. Other than some dust, Spock looked as prim and proper as ever. It was a mystery of mysteries how he managed to do that. Kirk would have to look into that.

"Hey, security, you people still alive?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, not noticing the slight cringe from Spock.

"Yes, Captain, we're all accounted for. Just hang on and we'll have you out of there in no time. The tremors seemed to have stopped!" somebody yelled back.

Sure enough, he was right. The ground was no longer shaking and everything was back to the quiet emptiness it was when they first arrived.

"Fascinating." Spock stated. "It would appear that the seismic activity we experienced was artificially created."

McCoy crossed his arms and furrowed his brows.

"Wait, that implies something or someone had to have done that."

Spock nodded.

"Indeed, you are correct, Doctor." Spock replied.

"Then it looks like this planet isn't as empty as we first thought." Kirk finished the hypothesis. "What if there is life here, but they live, say, underground?"

"Subterranean civilization…a logical assumption. We can also assume that the natives possess either skills or technology in order to create seismic activity." added Spock.

"Ooh, subterranean…maybe like mole men!"

"Mole men?"

Both Spock and McCoy asked simultaneously and regarded Kirk with a cocked brow. It took a lot of effort for him not to cringe. It was bad enough when one of them did it. When both of them did it, it had a synergistic effect. On the other hand, Kirk was able to get back at them when mole-like creatures broke through the cliff faces and from the ground. McCoy blanched at the sight and was torn between horror at the aggressive looking natives and the fact that Kirk was gloating.

A series of barks and squeaks emanated from the largest of the natives. The leader stood a head taller than Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, and easily dwarfed them in build. Small, beady eyes shimmered in the light of day while the mottled dark brown fur rustled lightly in the breeze. The snout kept twitching every which way as the leader, once again, let out a series of barks and squeaks. It sounded angrier this time. The leader swung his paw forward menacingly.

Now the three officers understood why they did not carry any weapons. Their limbs were short, but damn if they were not large. Sharp claws attached to thick, short digits, which connected to a large pad. The pinkish tone of the leader's paw was mottled with darker spots. It looked like it would be extremely painful to be hit by it. That was why, Kirk just settled for trying to make polite conversation.

"We come in peace." Kirk decided the classic line was the best one to use in this case. Hopefully they could understand him better than he could understand them.

More angry barks were his reply. He looked over at Spock who was just standing casually with his hands clasped behind his back. It took more effort to not be irritated by the blasé manner. Sensing the captain's eyes on him, Spock looked over at him questioningly.

"Got any bright ideas, Spock? I have no clue what we did to piss these guys off." he whispered harshly, not caring that they could not understand him.

"They do seem quite agitated. Perhaps they view us as trespassers." suggested Spock.

"They seem agitated? That's all you really have to say about them? And how the hell are we supposed to convince them we don't want to trespass?" McCoy growled. Unlike Kirk, he did not care to be quiet.

"I do not currently understand their language and they do not appear to understand standard. Therefore I do not know how to convey our regrets about trespassing."

"That was the longest, 'I don't have a clue' I have ever heard." Kirk said in all seriousness.

Before he could find a proper retort, Spock found himself suddenly on the ground seeing stars. The natives did not appreciate whatever it was they were doing. Now that Kirk thought about it, that last little bit was off topic. However, that did not mean they could clunk his first officer on the head with their massive paws. Kirk was about to just go with his initial instinct and fight them, but once again, he was thwarted by the leader's superior strength.

Faster than their bodies would indicate, the leader lunged forward and grabbed Kirk into a crushing bear hug. Well, he figured it was not a hug, but given the anatomy of the mole men things, that was about as good as they could do. He managed to turn his head and see the doctor placed in a similar embrace. McCoy looked absolutely chagrined at being hugged by a giant anthropomorphic mole. The one he was worried about though, was Spock. The Vulcan managed to pick himself off the ground, but moved slower and with less grace than he usually did. When he managed to stand up, he was immediately grabbed by another one and more or less dragged away along with the others.

The natives dragged them through one of the tunnels they bored into the cliff side. Kirk and the others continued to trip and snag their uniforms on stray rocks and protruding stone. Somehow, in the thickening darkness, the natives could maneuver just fine even though Kirk, Spock, and McCoy could see nothing. They traveled through darkness, weaving every which way until none of them knew what direction they were heading.

It was near blinding when they arrived in a large cavern and a steady stream of pale light broke through a hole high in the ceiling. Once Kirk's eyes adjusted, he realized the light was not that bright and the cavern was still covered in shadow. His eyes darted around, searching for a means of escape. As far as he could see, everything was darkness and twisting tunnels. Even if they managed to escape, it would do no good if they wound up lost for eternity or plummeted to their death in the various pits and abysses. So for now, Kirk decided to translate the dark glares Spock and McCoy were shooting him as "stay put and don't do anything stupid," and follow their advice. They were eventually tossed into the cell and left completely alone for hours.

"I hate you Jim. I hate you so much right now." Doctor Leonard McCoy growled.

Captain James T. Kirk held his hands up in a defensive manner not too many Starfleet captains had to do. Then again, not too many had this particular doctor.

"It's not like I planned on this."

He motioned vaguely to the area around them, which was not that much to look at. That tended to happen when one was locked in a large indentation carved out in the rocky wall. Everywhere he looked was the same yellowish stone. The only time there was a change in scenery was the electric field preventing his escape.

"How long have we been in here anyways?" Kirk deftly switched topics.

McCoy was not amused by his lack of tact, but remained silent for the time being. Admittedly, he was curious too. It felt as if days had gone by, even though he knew that was most probably untrue.

"We have been on this planet for twelve point four hours and have been confined in this cell for twelve hours." Spock promptly replied.

Currently, he was sitting calmly at the back of their cell with his eyes closed in meditation. Though his eyes were closed, Spock could easily detect the irritated sigh from McCoy and the soft groan from Kirk. He had to admit, twenty-four minutes was a painfully short time to have been free before being captured. Their frustration was understandable.

"So are they ever going to something? I'm getting stiff sitting on this rock." McCoy complained as he shifted his weight. No matter what he did, rocks were always digging into his back.

"Maybe they forgot about us." Kirk suggested.

"Highly improbable." Spock answered. "They are most likely deliberating as to what they will do with us."

Though Spock was merely stating a logical assumption, it still caused the two humans' shoulders to slump. They both feared the worst. Their treatment had not been the gentlest.

"…Are you-"

"Yes, Doctor. I am still awake as I just spoke to you four seconds ago." Spock interrupted McCoy's question sharply.

"Just checkin'." McCoy said with a smug grin.

Kirk rolled his eyes. The doctor had been asking Spock if he was still awake for the last twelve hours. When McCoy finally figured out Spock had a concussion as a result from the whack on his head, he sought out the most annoying ways to keep checking on him. More than once did Kirk have to mediate between the two when Spock began to look like he wanted to strangle the doctor, or at the very least, nerve pinch him. Thankfully, Spock still had exceptional control, but McCoy knew it too, so he figured he was fairly safe.

"You are always, 'just checking,' for the last twelve hours." Spock answered, his voice tight.

"I don't have anything better to do." McCoy defended.

"Sing another song if you wish…Regardless of the noise you call singing, it is more preferable to your inane questioning."

"But we already sang the ones we know." Kirk whined.

Spock fought the very human urge to roll his eyes and sigh. Instead, he reigned in his annoyance and calmly said,

"Then sing the illogical one about a merry boat…Perhaps the racket you make will draw their attention."

Kirk and McCoy shared an amused look between them. 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' was the first song they attempted to teach Spock during their captivity. He did not approve of 'such illogical lyrics when we are clearly nowhere near a stream' and he all but physically cringed when the two humans attempted to sing it in a round. Spock out right refused to participate. He also refused to sing about ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, especially since there was no actual alcohol on the wall. McCoy had asked him if he would prefer red balloons to beer. Spock did not know which one made less sense.

As the hours whittled away and Kirk and McCoy ran out of songs, they subjected Spock to a game called, 'I Spy.' Though Spock could understand the appeal behind such a game, it seemed utterly pointless in their current location. That did not deter Kirk or McCoy. They had soon moved on to games of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors.' That actually proved to be an interesting use of time. After they had explained the purpose behind the game, Spock initiated a debate as to why a piece of paper could defeat a rock. It was far more productive and less surprising or embarrassing than when Spock had his hand continually smacked in some way by one of the three objects.

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream…"

Spock allowed himself a small sigh. His thoughts were interrupted by the loud, and slightly off key, singing of Kirk and McCoy. Practice made perfect and Spock wondered why they were not perfect yet. They had plenty of practice and yet, Kirk and McCoy remained as discordant as ever.

"You are both singing in different keys…and you are not even in tune." Spock tried to prevent the little tic under his eye from showing. "…You are doing this to me on purpose."

Kirk grinned smugly.

"And who says you're oblivious? Seriously though, our captivity would be so much easier if these guys did something."

Spock tilted his head and strained to hear something. Kirk and McCoy leaned forward eagerly.

"It would appear your racket has drawn their attention." he replied calmly.

"Finally! Okay, what are we going to do?" Kirk asked conspiratorially.

"Listen and try to communicate with them." Spock answered promptly.

McCoy huffed and crossed his arms.

"Try to communicate with them? How do you propose we do that? Make squeaking noises and hope we say something right?!"

Kirk patted his frazzled friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. He looked over when he saw to of the natives trundle in. The three of them stood up. As the mole-like aliens approached, Spock quietly answered the doctor's question.

"Verbal communication is not the only means of communication."

McCoy was unconvinced and shot Kirk a questioning glare. Unfortunately, Kirk had no idea what Spock was talking about, let alone thinking. He could only shrug before they started making barking and squeaking noises. One of them made a move to grab Kirk, but was intercepted by Spock who grabbed the guard's large paw. Kirk practically cringed as he expected his first officer to be smacked in the head again, but slowly relaxed his tensed muscles when the guard backed off and made some bobbing head motion. Spock nodded his head once and followed the guard out.

Trying to follow him out of the cell, Kirk was a little more than miffed when the guard snorted in his face and roughly shoved him back in before sealing him in again. Both men watched Spock follow the guards out and disappear down a dark passageway.

"What the hell was that?" McCoy growled.

"How the hell should I know? It's not like he told me what he was doing." Kirk huffed back.

Just when it looked like a ripe opportunity for escape, a certain Vulcan had to get in the way. Then again, it was not like he had had a plan of escape, but that was a minor detail. Spock just decided to up and walk away with their captives and did not tell Kirk anything. He was the captain and he wanted to be kept in the loop. And so far, Spock was doing a fantastic job not keeping him in the loop. Now, once again, he was stuck with nothing to do and no closer to escaping. Plus, he no longer had a personal time keeper to tell him how many hours he was wasting away inside a mountain.

"So who would win in a fight; Spock or a mole man?" Kirk suddenly asked.

"In a fair fight, I'd bet on the green blooded computer…then again, maybe the moles got some ninja moves I'm unaware of?" McCoy speculated.

They settled into a silence as they actually considered what a fight would look like. They really needed to see the light of day again.

"…What do you think they're doing with Spock?" Kirk asked softly.

As angry as he was that his first officer was keeping something from him, Kirk was worried. He tapped his foot impatiently and tried to not think about it.

"I don't know. But I wouldn't worry. Spock seemed to have a breakthrough with our furry friends." McCoy replied with a wave of his hand.

Sure enough, soon as he spoke, a couple more mole guards came in. They opened the electric field locking them in. With a couple of squeaks and barks, far less intense than before, they made vague motions with their paws. Kirk correctly guessed they wanted them to follow. At least now, they were not man, or mole-handling them. Seeing as they were being treated with far more respect and courtesy than before, Kirk decided he would see where this all led. If he could help it, he really did want to avoid any altercations with the natives and establish peaceful relationships.

"Well I'll be damned…Told you he'd be fine."

They were back in the central cavern staring at Spock who was sitting cross-legged on the ground alongside a few mole natives. Kirk and McCoy slowly walked over to Spock, processing what was going on.

"You okay, Spock?" Kirk asked as he took a seat to the Vulcan's side.

"I am unharmed." Spock answered. "I have established basic communication with the Talpidae. It would appear we had desecrated their holy ground."

Kirk scratched his head.

"You mean that obelisk thing?"

"Yes, Captain. That was why we were greeted so aggressively."

As eh spoke, one of the natives clumsily patted Spock's head as if apologizing for the rough treatment. Spock allowed the contact as he continued.

"They were concerned we were here to conquer them and steal their treasures."

"You corrected them, right?" McCoy pressed.

"Affirmative. They apologize for our discomfort."

"I'd hardly call it-"

Kirk jabbed his elbow into McCoy's side. Sometimes his friend needed to remain silent. After making sure McCoy would watch his words, Kirk leaned forward and extended his hand with a smile.

"It's not a problem. I'm just glad everything's cleared up."

The largest native sitting nearby sniffed the offered hand. Kirk bit his bottom lip to keep form laughing. The bristly snout tickled the palm of his hand. After Kirk's hand was thoroughly examined, the native stuck out its large paws and sandwiched the hand between them. It looked at their hands a moment before tilting his head slightly to the side in puzzlement. Kirk carefully moved his arm up and down, guiding their hands into a clunky handshake.

"Friends." Kirk stated plainly.

He was not sure if the mole native could understand him, but Kirk was not one to be deterred. Flashing it a bright smile, Kirk tried to convey how much he wanted everybody to get along and how happy he was about their potential friendship.

It seemed to be the correct response. With a sudden loud barking noise, the native vigorously shook his hand. The others standing around began making similar noises. McCoy was startled, but more than mused when one of the natives clasped his hand and shook it. Despite his previous frustration, McCoy began laughing as every living thing in the cavern began shaking hands or paws. It was then that Kirk realized the natives' barking was actually laughter.

"They are highly amused and fascinated by your handshake, Captain." Spock confirmed his guess.

"No kidding." Kirk agreed with a grin. "By the way, Spock, how did you know they're called Talpidae?"

"That is the closet I could manage." Spock admitted. "It is ironically fitting considering their appearance."

"I'm assuming moles are part of the Talpidae family or something?" asked Kirk, already certain of the answer he would receive.

"You are correct, Captainn. I believe Lieutenant Uhura would be more helpful in regards to their language."

Kirk was finally able to free his hand and shook it out with a rueful grin.

"They've got a strong grip…and as far as languages go, you seem to have done just fine." he pointed out.

"I did teach xenolinguistics at the academy." Spock stated. "However, Lieutenant Uhura has a higher sensitivity to the subtlety of their language."

"Well, you would know…wow, they really like Bones." Kirk pointed at the doctor.

He was currently being bombarded by small natives, the children Kirk supposed. There was a furry ball of fluff in his arms while several others were piled at his feet, tugging at his pats.

"Stop pointing and staring, and get 'em off me!" McCoy yelled at them.

"It is a known fact that connection became stronger through bonding with the children. You are aiding in the diplomatic proceedings." Spock blandly responded.

McCoy's shoulders slumped, but he continued to carry and pet all the children's heads. Kirk glanced at Spock out of the corner of his eye.

"You're a tricky guy, you know that?" he said with a smug grin.

Spock stared blankly at a nearby wall.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Captain."

"Of course you don't." Kirk relied with a small, knowing grin. "But on the topic of not knowing what you're talking about, how did you know what they wanted and why didn't you say anything earlier?"

He was trying to keep the frustration out of his voice, but he had the feeling he failed at it. Spock almost cringed at the question, but managed to remain stoic. Sitting in close proximity of Kirk made it abundantly clear he was upset. Then again, Spock knew enough about James Kirk to know he would be upset at Spock's chosen silence over the matter. It had not been his intention to anger the captain, but clearly, he failed in that regard.

"I apologize, Captain. I was not fully positive of my hypothesis and I did not want to encourage…" Spock studied his hands clasped in his lap as he tried to think of a proper word. "False hope?...especially after spending hours of captivity and uncertainty."

"So basically, you got a gut instinct and went with it?" Kirk asked semi-amused at the sudden discomfort Spock was showing. "Fine. I can deal with that explanation, but next time, you let me decide what news I can handle, got it?"

Spock slowly nodded his head.

"I shall endeavor to inform you of my thought processes in the future." Spock said slightly hesitant.

Patting his shoulder, Kirk just grinned and decided to overlook the brief reluctance and discomfort on Spock's part. For now, he just wanted to clear the air and rid himself of his pent up frustration. He knew it did nobody any good and if anything, made Spock pull back from him. That was one of the last things he wanted to happen. It was essential he get along with his first officer. Of course, Spock was not making it any easier, but that was a talk for another time.

"Good…and good work with these guys. Now, are they going to show us out of here?"

The relief Spock felt at the change in topic was almost palpable. Kirk was amused by it. For being such a stoic and unemotional individual, there were instances where he was fairly easy to read.

"Affirmative. However, they seem to want us to see something. Some of their people are at the surface waiting for the search party." Spock exlained easily.

"What do they want to show us?" Kirk asked, his inner curiosity piqued.

"I do not know…I am under the impression it had something to do with their garbage."

At this time, McCoy limped over to where Kirk and spock were sitting. A particularly clingy child was latched onto his leg.

"Garbe? Why the hell would we want to see their garbage?" he asked loudly.

"One man's garbage is another man's treasure, Bones." Kirk answered with a smirk.

Much to the doctor's chagrin, Spock nodded his head in agreement.

"Indeed. From what I've gathered, the Talpidae have been attacked before and the invaders attempted to steal their garbage." Spock tried to explain as best he could.

"Okay then, since we're here, let's see their garbage." declared Kirk.

Even though the natives could not understand Kirk's words, they seemed to somehow understand what he wanted to do. The leader stood up and made a loud barking noise. Another native came trundling in, carrying something wrapped in foliage. It joined the small group and set the package down. The leader waved its paw at it. Kirk assumed it wanted him to open it.

Shrugging, Kirk grabbed the item while Spock and McCoy leaned over to get a better look. He carefully unwrapped it and practically dropped it when he saw what he was holding.

"Spock? Is this what I think it is?"

* * *

**A/N: **Huzzah. The first mission begins...and it involves moles...why mole aliens? The better question is, why not? This was going to be one giant long chapter, but it was a giant long chapter so I broke it up into two smaller chapters. See my creative prowress at work there? Next chapter should be up soon and it is a lot better written than this chapter. Happy readings, hope you enjoyed.

May moles dig wonderful tunnels in your dreams,  
~Tofu


	6. Garbage Day

"Well, treasured garbage indeed."

Spock nodded his head in agreement with McCoy.

"It is dilithium." said Spock.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy just stared at the crystal sitting innocuously in the captain's hands. The small chunk of crystal in his hand was the reason there was warp drive and people went to war. This was a significant find and Kirk was a bit at a loss as to what he should do. He glanced over at Spock who looked up from where he was examining the crystal and arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"So dilithium is their trash?...Do they happen to have a place where they store their trash?" Kirk asked Spock.

"I am under the impression there is some sort of location, however, I do not know where exactly." Spock answered. He shifted his gaze to the native eagerly leaning forward and softly touched its paw. After a few seconds of silence, Spock broke contact and addressed the captain. "Yes, there is a garbage collection facility. Burr is willing to show us."

"Burr?" McCoy and Kirk asked simultaneously with tiny grins.

Spock pointedly ignored their amusement and explained with a light huff,

"That is as close to saying his name as I am able. It is far better than referring to him as 'it.'"

Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Kirk valiantly fought back a grin and accepted his first officer's explanation. Spock did not look all that mollified.

"Okay, okay. Burr. Sounds good to me…not like I can even communicate with them, so good work, Spock."

McCoy focused intently on the young child clinging to his head trying not to laugh at how quickly Kirk relented and tried to backtrack. He was next to certain no other captain had to answer to their first officer in such a manner. Then again, no other captain had Spock as their first officer. As he idly stroked the soft fur on the child's head, McCoy wondered how Pike and Spock had gotten along.

"Yo, Bones, let's go!"

Knocked out of his musings by Kirk's loud voice, McCoy whipped around to glare at him.

"Hold your horses, Jim. Some of us have furry little moles attached to them."

"It would be prudent to have those examined." Spock retorted smartly.

A sputtering noise escaped Jim's lips as he failed to hold back his growing amusement. McCoy stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Spock who simply regarded the doctor with a bland expression.

"You choose now to make a joke?!" he stalked over to where Kirk and Spock were waiting for him, dragging the small child on his leg. "Is your humor bipolar or something?!"

"I do not know what you are rambling on about, Doctor. Shall we proceed?" Spock monotonously replied.

Kirk patted his friend's shoulder and shook his head with a grin.

"Sorry, Bones. Spock won that round."

McCoy shook his head and limped after Spock and Burr who was leading the way down a new tunnel.

Once more, the darkness thickened and the walls became narrower. It was quite claustrophobic and McCoy was relieved that claustrophobia was not one of his phobias. Of course, he may not have feared tight spaces, but he sure as hell despised his inability to see anything in front of him and his lack of grace due to a still clingy mole child. Grumbling quietly to himself, he did not realize the people in front of him stopped, so he wound up ramming into Kirk who stumbled forward into Spock. It was brief and faint, but Kirk definitely felt Spock tense up considerably at the sudden contact. While he knew the Vulcan did not enjoy casual touching, he usually seemed capable and willing to indulge the habits of the more tactile crewmembers, Kirk included. To test his growing suspicion, he kept his hand on Spock's shoulder a bit longer than necessary. Spock felt like he was going to snap his muscles were wound up so tightly. Afraid he would snap, either figuratively or literally, Kirk released his hands and shot his first officer an apologetic smile, before realizing it was probably too dark for Spock to even see the gesture.

He mentally filed his observation away for a later time. Right now, Kirk was trying to not trip again as he attempted to get through a small opening. When he managed to squeeze through, the first thing that greeted his eyes was a giant pile of dilithium crystals of varying sizes. They were in another large cavern, but unlike the central one, this one a bit smaller and there were a few more holes of light puncturing the ceiling.

"Wow…Scotty would love to see this…" Kirk mused in awe. And then suddenly, he came to a realization. "Shit. It's no wonder these guys were attacked. Whoever the invaders were, they wanted all this dilithium."

McCoy let out a low whistle.

"I don't blame 'em. This is enough to run the entire fleet, Jim."

"I believe there is more." Spock interrupted the two humans' mutual awe party. "When this storage area becomes too full, it is emptied at the surface, much like a landfill."

"So wait, there's just a bunch of dilithium sitting happily in a pile on the surface somewhere? No wonder they got attacked." McCoy reasoned with slight exasperation.

"Spock. Is there any way the Talpidae would be willing to enter trade agreements with the Federation?" Kirk suddenly asked Spock.

Thinking over the captain's words carefully and reasoning through the presented evidence, Spock slowly nodded his head.

"I believe they would be willing to do so. I assume you mean to offer them protection against any other potential invaders?"

Kirk nodded his head eagerly, the pieces of the puzzle coming together in a rapid fashion.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I don't know what the Federation would do exactly, but I'm pretty sure we can make this beneficial for both parties."

"Indeed. When we return to the _Enterprise_, I will send word to Starfleet of our situation." Spock then turned to Burr. "I shall try to communicate our intentions."

This time, Kirk made sure to observe Spock closely. Spock brushed his hand across Burr's paw and then held it in place. It was subtle, but Kirk noticed the intense look of concentration on Spock's face. As he watched, he became aware that this was the third time he saw Spock do this during their stay on the planet. Somehow, his first officer was communicating with the planet's inhabitants through physical contact. Memories of his marooning on Delta Vega and an elderly Vulcan sharing his mind came back to Kirk like a hammer. He jerked in surprise when he felt a hand land on his shoulder.

"You okay, Jim?" McCoy asked with audible concern. "You suddenly looked a little pale."

Kirk brushed the hand away with a quick, reassuring grin.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine, Bones. Just trying to process everything and not screw anything up."

"You have yet to give any indication you will 'screw up.'"

Both Kirk and McCoy were surprised by the sudden interruption from Spock. He and Burr were watching the other two curiously. Rolling his eyes, McCoy resumed petting the furry head rubbing against his leg while Kirk cleared his throat with an unusual case of embarrassment and stepped closer to his first officer.

"So what's the verdict?"

He was thankful when Spock agreed to the change in topic.

"Burr agrees that there is potential for a relationship between his people and the Federation."

It may not have been the most captain-like thing to do, but Kirk could care less. He smiled in total satisfaction. Barring any sudden changes or catastrophes, the mission was a better success than he could ever have imagines. Sure, it did not go according to plan, but where was the excitement and satisfaction with expected monotony?

"That's great. Let's get back to the _Enterprise_ and set things in motion with Starfleet. Meanwhile, I want Uhura and some of your science people of your choosing to hang out down here and try to learn some more about the Talpidae." Kirk ordered with confidence.

"Understood, Captain." Spock acknowledged.

Burr trundled over to McCoy with little grace and gently prodded the child on the head. It let out a reluctant squeak before slowly removing itself from the doctor's leg and clambering up onto the back of Burr. McCoy shook out his leg, feeling the beginnings of pins and needles as blood resumed flow.

"Thought the little bugger would never let go." McCoy grumbled fondly.

He joined Kirk and Spock as they once again traversed the dark tunnels. This time though, they were a bit more prepared for the terrain and McCoy decided it was much easier to maneuver without a little furball attached to his leg.

By the time they returned to the central cavern, a full security detail was waiting eagerly for them.

"Hey, Cupcake. Miss me?" Kirk called out to the large man standing with his arms crossed.

Lieutenant Commander Giotto was not amused in the least bit. His frown remained prominent, even as he blandly reported that he was happy to see Kirk safe. In retrospect, Kirk supposed he should stop antagonizing his chief of security, or at least not as much. He did not think he would be able to eliminate all his fun.

"We're awaiting your orders, _Captain_." Giotto ground out.

"Right. Well, I'm going to head back to the _Enterprise_ and inform Starfleet of what's happening. I want you to leave a few of your people to keep an eye on things, but you yourself get the pleasure of my company as I debrief you." Kirk said with a cheeky grin.

McCoy rolled his eyes and grumbled about maturity.

"Now how do I get out of here?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Burr will show us out now." Spock answered anyways.

Sure enough, the large anthropomorphic mole toddled off towards the entrance. Giotto gave a few of his men orders to remain before joining the captain and the others. In all honesty, he was glad to be going back to the ship. His size was not conducive to a smooth trip through the narrow tunnels.

When they reached the surface, everybody had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden increase in light. Giotto drew in a deep breath and rolled his shoulders to loosen the kinks. Kirk took out his communicator and checked the signal.

"Kirk to _Enterprise_, can you hear me?"

There was a brief moment of static before Scotty's voice came though loud and clear.

"Aye, Captain. I read you."

"Great. Get ready to beam up five at my command." Kirk ordered.

He snapped the cover shut and turned towards Burr.

"Thank you. I'll be back later, okay?" he said as he stuck out his hand.

Burr sniffed the air around him and leaned forward until his nose brushed against Kirk's outstretched hand. He made a bark of recognition before sandwiching Kirk's hand in between his paws. Just like he had been taught, Burr began moving his paws up and down in a handshake. A small, genuine smile graced Kirk's features as he let Burr enjoy the moment.

Finally, Burr let go of his hand and took a step back. Kirk flipped his communicator open again.

"Alright Scotty, beam us up."

"Aye, Captain."

As the party waited for the familiar electric feeling, the child on Burr's back dropped off and leaped forward. Just as streams of light began to engulf their beings; it latched onto McCoy's leg. Before anybody could do anything, it was too late and a sixth party member was beamed up to the _Enterprise_.

When the light faded away and they reappeared on the transporter pad, McCoy was horrified at the little ball of fur nuzzling his leg. Scotty watched the doctor with thinly veiled amusement.

"That be a cute little thing there, Doctor." he pointed to the doctor's leg.

McCoy grumbled as he tried to pry the child off his leg.

"Dammit. It's not my fault if Burr thinks we just kidnapped his kid."

"I do not believe he will come to that conclusion. Despite what their appearance might imply, the Talpidae are highly intelligent and logical." Spock reasoned.

He stepped off the transporter pad and almost stumbled. Kirk instinctually reached out and steadied Spock. Before he could assure Kirk he was well, McCoy was in full doctor mode.

"Aw hell. I forgot about your concussion…How the hell are you still up and about like that anyways? Actually, know what? Don't answer that." he ordered.

Even though a Talpidae child was clinging to his leg, McCoy was ever the efficient doctor.

"It's sickbay for you, and I won't hear otherwise. Now you," McCoy whirled around to jab a finger into Kirk's chest. "You find somebody to take the kid back down. I'm going to have my hands full with this stubborn Vulcan."

"Sure thing, Bones." acquiesced Kirk. He knew better than to argue with McCoy when he was in doctor mode.

"I'll take him…or her down, Captain."

All the men turned to face Uhura. She stood with her usual grace and confidence. The minute she heard there were new life forms on the planet; she was just twitching at the opportunity to translate the new language that the universal translator could not. Kirk grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded his head.

"You got it, Lieutenant. I'm positive that talented tongue of yours is going to get a workout." he said with a smug smirk.

Uhura rolled her eyes, but the barest hints of smile played at the corners of her mouth. As she passed by Spock, who was still standing still and letting McCoy run a medical tricorder over him, her hand intentionally brushed past Spock's. Normally, he would have responded with a raised eyebrow that was not quite approving, but not quite disapproving. However, this was not the case.

It was blatantly obvious when Spock jerked his hand closer to his side and almost flinched. What was originally an excited and jovial atmosphere suddenly became thick with tension. Scotty looked like he did not know where he should be looking, while Kirk and Giotto stared. There was a brief flash of hurt that marred Uhura's fine features before being covered up with a forced, thin smile. McCoy glanced at her, then at Spock who, in all his Vulcan stoicism, recognized that his action hurt her feelings. If it were not such a complicated moment, McCoy would have taken the opportunity to point out Spock's show of emotion, no matter how small. In this instance though, the look of frustration and misery on Spock's face kept him silent.

"Er, c'mon little guy. Time to let go and see your daddy again, okay?" McCoy desperately tried to keep his voice comforting for the sake of the young child stuck to his leg and trying to ease the tension out of the room.

With a little bit of effort and a gentle pat on the head, McCoy was finally able to get the child off his leg and into Uhura's arms. Despite the previous tension, a tiny smile grew on her face as the Talpidae began to nuzzle her neck. She laughed when the whiskers began to tickle her neck.

"I'll let you know when I find something out, Captain." Uhura said formally.

Instead of a quip, Kirk simply nodded his head.

"Good luck, Lieutenant. Energize."

Scotty happily went back to work and in a few seconds, Uhura disappeared. The minute she was gone, Spock marched stiffly out of the transporter room followed closely by McCoy who was still trying to herd him into sickbay.

"Good work, Scotty." Kirk said with a quick pat on the engineer's shoulder.

He immediately went after his two friends and officers. It was surprisingly difficult to catch up with Spock and McCoy as the Vulcan was walking with large strides and a brisk pace. At least they were heading in the direction of sickbay. McCoy was happy about that at least.

"Would you slow down? We're not racing to sickbay." McCoy grumped.

"I am not racing anybody, Doctor. I am merely walking at an efficient rate." Spock responded blandly.

"Yeah, well, you're efficient rate is really hard to keep up with." Kirk huffed out as he finally caught up with them.

Spock remained silent even though he looked like he really wanted to say something about that. However, he remained determinedly silent about it and stepped into sickbay.

McCoy continued to grumble under his breath as he recalibrated the biosensor over the bed. After finally inputting the correct sequence, McCoy motioned for Spock to lie down. The biosensor immediately beeped to life. Kirk leaned against a wall and tried to read the biosensor, but could not make any sense of it. Vulcans' life readings were drastically different from humans and Kirk had no idea whether everything was the way it should be. However, McCoy was pleased enough and shut the machine off.

"Congratulations, you're going to live."

Spock propped himself up on his elbows and spared the doctor a curious look.

"I never had any doubts, Doctor." Spock replied.

Rolling his eyes, McCoy grabbed a penlight from the medical tray and told Spock to sit up. He resisted the urge to help Spock sit upright when the Vulcan teetered just so slightly. When Spock sat upright, McCoy, without any warning, flashed the penlight in his eyes. Kirk coughed to cover up his laugh. Spock flinched away and blinked rapidly from the light and for the briefest moments, looked absolutely scandalized.

"So 'yes' to the light sensitivity?" McCoy asked sarcastically.

"I do not suggest doing that again." Spock said with deliberate intensity.

McCoy shook his head and tossed the penlight on to the medical tray.

"Well the pupils are even…How bad is the headache? And don't you dare try to deny it, Spock." McCoy warned.

"It is manageable." Spock answered flatly.

"…It's manageable? That's it? Could you be any more vague?!" yelled McCoy.

"I answered your question, Doctor."

Kirk watched the epic staring showdown with mild amusement before finally snapping his fingers loudly and getting their attention.

"I call this one a tie." he pushed off the wall and walked over to the bed. "So, Bones, how is he?"

McCoy shot Spock another glare before giving his attention to the captain.

"It's like I thought, just a concussion. However," McCoy pinned Spock to the bed with a warning glare. "He pushed it with whatever Vulcan voodoo he used down there. Since I know he isn't going to follow my doctorly advice, you need to make sure he's on half duty until I say so."

Not even waiting for Kirk to acknowledge him, McCoy held his hand up to cut off whatever objection Spock had.

"Don't argue with me. And make sure you sleep, and whenever you're not doing whatever Vulcan-y things you do, rest. I also want you to tell me if you have any difficulty sleeping or any of your symptoms worsen, capiche?"

"Very well, Doctor. I will defer to your opinion on this matter."

"Opinion? Did you hear that? Opinion my ass! That is legitimate medical advice. Where the hell does your vindictive humor hide?!" McCoy growled as he crossed his arms and frowned.

"I do not have a 'vindictive humor,' Doctor, and I have agreed to your terms." Spock pointed out.

"Yeah, well…good. Now hold still."

Even as he spoke, McCoy jabbed Spock's neck with a hypospray. Kirk inwardly cringed. He really wanted to know how his CMO did that with so much speed and stealth.

"There. That should do something for the headache. Now get out of here and get some rest." ordered McCoy.

Not paying attention and reacting on instinct, McCoy grabbed Spock's upper arm to help him off the bed. Both he and Kirk were surprised when Spock jerked away. It was only for an instant, but just like in the transporter room, it was very noticeable. Spock stood stiffly at attention and pointedly avoided eye contact with either the captain or the doctor.

"Okay, I know you don't like people touching you, but that was a little overkill, and I know we're all wondering about the transporter room." Kirk said a little hesitantly. "Come on, Spock, you got to let me work with something here. Is something wrong with your mind-reading telepathy thing?"

The muscles in Spock's jaw tensed, and if it were even possible, he stood even straighter and stiffer than usual. McCoy arched an eyebrow expectantly and Kirk just tapped his foot impatiently.

"Crudely put…but essentially correct. The problem was exacerbated by my communication with the Talpidae. However, with meditation and rest, I will be functioning normally by next shift." Spock explained stiffly.

"Alright, that makes sense, but what does that have to do people touching you? I mean, I think you kind of hurt Uhura's feelings back there."

Spock fixed Kirk with a pointed glare and answered with tense reluctance.

"Vulcans use telepathy through touch. As for Lieutenant Uhura, that is not your business."

Throwing his hands up in the air, McCoy plopped down on the bed.

"The man answers with no answers at all."

"That is illogical, Doctor." Spock retorted.

"Alright, before this escalates into another Spock-McCoy bitch-fest, let's just leave it." Kirk interrupted, his hands up in a placating manner. "Spock, you're free to go and get some rest."

Whether it was from the concussion or he was just getting better at reading Spock, Kirk was amused at how easy he was able to see the look of pure relief on his first officer's face. He watched as Spock swiveled on his heel and marched smartly out of sickbay. When the doors shut behind him, Kirk turned to McCoy who was watching him suspiciously.

"What do you know that I don't?" McCoy asked suspiciously.

"Not a whole lot actually. How about you?"

McCoy shook his head and shifted his weight.

"Are you sure about that guy as your first officer? In the long run, I mean." he asked casually enough even though it was far from a casual question.

Kirk opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. His shoulders drooped ever so slightly.

"I don't know, Bones. I really don't know…it's hard to imagine us as a good team, huh?"

Studying Kirk with a sharp eye, McCoy shook his head with a small, rueful smile.

"Well, I've seen better." he replied. "But that's what we get for having our kind of crew. Even our captain and first officer aren't experienced officers…We're screwed, aren't we?"

He looked at Kirk with mock horror causing the captain to laugh despite himself. Humor and easy companionship settled between them. It was this content feeling that Kirk missed with Spock. As he basked in his best friend's casual ease, Kirk became all the more aware of how different and far apart he was from his first officer. He did not want to leave the doctor's presence.

"Alright, I gotta go and keep our death bucket running." Kirk clapped McCoy on the shoulder. "And you know, once Spock meditates, he's going to be all over you to get back on full duty."

"Oh, let him try. I'll be waiting." McCoy openly challenged.

Kirk hesitated the briefest of moments before tearing himself from the ironic comfort of sickbay. He walked the hallway slowly and thoughtfully. There was a divide between him and Spock that he wanted to bridge. And when he wanted something, Kirk was never passive.

With his mind made up, Kirk detoured until he was marching resolutely to Spock's quarters. He had no clue as to what he would say, but Kirk figured he could make things up as they go. He wanted whatever was between him and Spock cleared up as soon as possible. What he was not expecting was the first officer in question to be approaching his quarter at the same time. A PADD was tucked neatly under his arm. Kirk grinned and thought of the doctor blissfully ignorant in sickbay.

"Maybe my memory's faulty, but I'm pretty sure Bones told you to rest, not do work."

Spock snapped to attention when he heard Kirk's amused voice. Kirk, for his part, was not only amused, but slightly concerned that he was able to sneak up and startle the Vulcan when he was not trying to. Even though he had not known Spock for very long, Kirk correctly figured that a preoccupied Spock was not a normal Spock, and that just would not do. He needed a normal Spock, as much as did not and would not admit it.

"Captain? Are you well?"

Spock's question knocked Kirk from his reverie. Realizing he had been silently staring blankly at his first officer for some time, Kirk quickly gathered his wits and deflected the question.

"I should be asking you that." said Kirk with a tiny grin.

A single eyebrow arched upward marginally and Kirk got the impression Spock was amused.

"I am well enough. There are multiple projects requiring my authorization. Since Doctor McCoy insists on my convalescence, I plan to get some work done." explained Spock.

"Basically, you're blowing off Bone's orders." Kirk clarified.

"I believe I just said that."

This time, there was a definite tone of amusement. Kirk grinned.

"Well, you're secret's safe with me. But if Bone's finds out, I'm denying everything." Kirk quipped.

Spock lightly bowed his head. Now, Kirk had no idea what to say. Normally, he had no problem saying anything to anybody. However, Spock never responded to his usual comments and quips, and if he did respond, it was often a subtle gesture. Kirk had no idea what those gestures meant.

They settled into an awkward silence. At least, Kirk assumed it must be awkward for Spock as well since he just stood there as if he did not know if whether the conversation was over or not. Sighing inwardly, Kirk decided he would have to try to reach his first officer some other time.

"So, I guess I'll let you go back to 'resting' then."

When all else failed, humor was the best way to deal with things. That was one of the philosophies Kirk lived by. He thought it was a shame Spock probably did not appreciate the tactic.

"I will assume your statement was meant to be ironic?" he asked.

"…Yeah. Way to pick up on that. At least get some rest, alright?"

Kirk waited for the affirmative nod before continuing on his way. As he walked down the empty hallway wondering how he totally failed at his intended goal, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Spock call out for him.

"Captain."

Trying not to appear overly excited that his first officer called for him; Kirk turned around to face Spock with careful calculation. It was a shame that the effect was ruined when he elegantly stumbled over his own feet. Once more, Spock's eyebrow arched upward.

"Are you alright, Captain?" Spock asked slowly.

Catching himself and quickly straightening his uniform out, Kirk crossed his arms and acted like nothing happened. Spock stared at him curiously for a moment before following his lead and pretending like he saw nothing.

"What's up?" Kirk asked with forced casualness.

Spock hesitated a moment before asking, "When Lieutenant Uhura returns from the planet, I…will you…"

Kirk watched with growing amusement as Spock, usually so eloquent, embarrassingly struggled to find the right words.

"I'll send her your way." Kirk finished with a wink.

The tension lining Spock's features seemed to lessen marginally.

"Thank you, Captain."

"We're off duty. Call me Jim." Kirk corrected cheerfully.

Spock considered it a moment before softly shaking his head and made a move to step into his quarters. Kirk violently squashed the sudden nagging feeling of disappointment gnawing at the edge of his mind and gut. Slowly turning back to face the way he was originally heading, Kirk began to trudge away.

"Your concern is appreciated, Jim."

By the time Kirk whipped around to check if he was hearing things, the door was already shut to Spock's quarters. Despite his best efforts to control himself, and silence the little voice in his head telling him he was being awfully bipolar about Spock, Kirk broke out into a grin. Perhaps, his efforts to reach his first officer were not such a lost cause after all.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't know how I feel about this chapter. I like some parts better than others. Oh well. That's what re-editing is for. Anyhoo, this chapter was written over the course of many days, so let me know if something just stuck out as odd or didn't fit. Other than that, I have nothing left to say that doesn't result in long-winded rambling. So, I hope you enjoyed reading and by all means, let me know what you think.

There are no scissors, but there is tape,  
~Tofu


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